U.S. and Ecuadorian Forces Disrupt Cartel Drug Route

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U.S. military and Ecuadorian law enforcement conducted coordinated raids in eight cities across Ecuador, targeting a network of the Mexican drug cartel Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG). The operation, part of the broader Shield of the Americas initiative, aimed to disrupt the cartel’s drug trafficking routes through South America.

The raids, which took place early Thursday morning, resulted in the arrest of 30 cartel members operating in Ecuador. According to Ecuador’s Minister of the Interior, John Reimberg, the cartel members had no ties to local gangs or criminal organizations and were solely operating under CJNG’s direction. The operation was the outcome of an eight-month investigation that revealed the cartel’s primary objective was to transport drugs via waterways into Central America, Mexico, and eventually the United States and Europe.

The joint operation involved 50 members of the U.S. military’s Southern Command working alongside over 320 Ecuadorian officers. Reimberg noted that this year alone, Ecuadorian authorities have seized $322 million worth of drugs from Mexican cartels, highlighting the effectiveness of the collaboration.

The operation marks a significant shift in regional security strategies as conservative leaders in South America align with the U.S. government to combat transnational criminal networks. During recent bilateral meetings in Quito, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Ecuador as the Trump administration’s most aggressive partner in the hemisphere-wide fight against drug trafficking.

Despite these successes, Mexico has not joined the initiative, continuing to limit U.S. involvement in targeting Mexican cartels. This lack of cooperation remains a challenge in the broader effort to dismantle transnational drug networks.

Source: Breitbart

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claire.thomson