Violence Transforms Ecuador’s Migration Landscape
A year after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared war on organized crime, the country is grappling with a surge in…
Ecuador Gang Dynamic Feeds Record Homicides
The recent killing of a prominent Ecuadorian gang leader may further fuel violence in Durán, one of the country’s most…
GameChangers 2024: Ecuador Finds Victory Elusive in ‘War on Gangs’
Ecuador became the latest Latin American nation to turn to a militarized response to combat organized crime in 2024. But…
The Evolution of Ecuador’s Prison Crisis
Over the last five years, Ecuador has been engulfed in violence and a criminal chaos unprecedented in its modern history.…
Massacres Surge as Gangs Atomize in Ecuador
A recent series of massacres in Ecuador is further evidence that more access to high-powered weapons, heightened impunity, and an…
The Rise and Fall of El Negro Willy, Ecuador’s Prison-Guard Mafia Boss
The first sign that armed gang members had invaded a TV station in Guayaquil came when two masked youths appeared…
Will Costa Rica Follow the Same Criminal Path as Ecuador?
High levels of violence indicate how once-peaceful Costa Rica is feeling the tightening grip of cocaine trafficking. But is the…
Arrest of Leaders of Ecuador’s Tiguerones Could Further Fracture Gang
The leader of the Tiguerones, one of Ecuador’s most powerful and violent criminal groups and an important link in the…
Kings, Killers, and Cabras: Profiling Durán’s Criminal Players
Durán’s criminal underworld is dominated by the fierce rivalry between the Latin Kings and the Chone Killers. Their differences —…
How Ecuador’s Criminals Are Taking Advantage of Private Security Firms
Private security companies have surged in Ecuador as crime has intensified, but mounting evidence of criminal infiltration in the industry…