The Impact of Transatlantic Gangs on Ecuador
Courtesy of The Catholic University of America
By John Mazzella
This is an independently submitted op-ed and does not reflect the views of The Tower.
Situated between two of the largest cocaine producing countries in the world, Peru and Colombia, until recently Ecuador has had the remarkable good fortune to remain what president Rodrige Borja Cevalloss called “an island of peace”. By the late 2010s this reality has been disrupted with Ecuador becoming the 11th most violent country in the world according to Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime with murders surging by 430% according to Human Rights Watch.
Ecuador has held multiple appeals to international drug traders, including those, from Colombia, Mexico, and Albania. These foreign intrusions have driven Ecuador’s dramatic spike in violent crime as well as empowered local criminal gangs. The foundations of this violence was laid in 2016 with Colombia’s peace agreement with the insurgency group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which already had a foothold along Ecuador’s border with Colombia. The demobilization of FARC created a power vacuum within Ecuador to be filled by other criminal syndicates. This resulted in a power struggle amongst a variety of foreign criminal gangs, seeking to use Ecuador’s advantageous position formerly occupied by FARC.
Foreign cartels will often cut deals with Ecuadorian gangs for ease of production and shipment. The port city of Guayaquil has become indispensable for drug traffickers in South America to smuggle their goods into Europe and the United States, and the dollarized economy provides an easy means of money laundering for criminal gangs. The patronage of powerful foreign gangs such as the Sinaloa Cartel has made local Ecuadorian gangs such as Los Choneros and Los Lobos exceptionally powerful, especially in prisons, which have become vital for the operation of these gangs. Underfunding and overpopulation of the country’s 34 penitentiaries has allowed criminal gangs to operate with relative ease compared to the outside world. These prisons
provide a major hub for gangs and disputes amongst gangs have resulted in a sharp spike in prison violence, including 11 prison riots within the last three years.
On a more personal level, many of the people who get involved in these gangs are young people. Gang life has gained a strong appeal among young people for its promises of success and respect. Young people are often exposed to the potential benefits of these gangs through social media. This problem has led to outreach programs aimed at improving the quality of life of young people, such as the ZUMAR center in Guayaquil. Such programs provide valuable havens of security for young people, many of whom no longer feel safe going to school. In addition to dramatic civic unrest, the wave of crime has adversely impacted efforts at preserving Ecuador’s wildlife. Biologists studying the rainforests of Ecuador have faced threats by cartels who hold power in the area. This has forced many scholars to abandon important projects out of fear for their lives.
The increased presence of such gangs in Ecuador has had a direct impact on the country’s democracy. With an upcoming second round of elections later this year, security will be a driving issue for many voters. Incumbent President Daniel Noboa declared a state of exception on April 12th allowing him to use military personnel to combat cartels who he described as terrorists. Despite this, the election is still too close to call.
