Why Ecuador Is Losing Its Fight Against Organized Crime
Ecuador’s militarized organized crime crackdown on gangs has failed to translate into a sustained reduction in violence. Three years in,…
Tiguerones Leader ‘Willy’ Is Living Free in Spain
William Joffre Alcívar Bautista, alias “Willy,” the alleged leader of the Tiguerones, one of the most powerful gangs in Ecuador…
The InSight Take: Who Killed Fernando Villavicencio? Ecuador’s Reckoning.
Three years after presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated in Quito, Ecuador could be closing in on an answer to…
Ketamine Trafficking Expands Across Latin America
More and more countries across Latin America and the Caribbean are reporting cases of ketamine trafficking, reflecting a shift in…
The InSight Take: Ecuador’s Kingpin Strategy Has Tactical Wins, but Strategic Uncertainty
The capture of Ecuadorian crime boss Wilmer Chavarría, alias “Pipo,” was a major victory for President Daniel Noboa’s strategy of…
Mapping Latin America’s Megaprisons
In the three years since President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele opened his famous Terrorism Confinement Center (Centro de Confinamiento…
The InSight Take: Inside Ecuador’s Chone Killers, the Latest Addition to US Terrorism List
The US State Department has added the Chone Killers in Ecuador to its list of foreign terrorist organizations operating across…
Ecuador Says Extortion Is Down. The Reality Is More Complicated.
It was time for after-school pickup at the San Francisco de Asís elementary school in downtown Guayaquil one recent afternoon…
From Airstrikes to Cooperation: Will the ‘New Phase’ of Ecuador’s Drug War Deliver?
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa says that, two years in, his organized crime crackdown is entering a “new phase” that combines…
Map: Military Strikes Target Complex Criminal Landscape on Colombia-Ecuador Border
Ecuador’s armed forces, backed by the United States military, conducted airstrikes on camps on March 6 that they claim belonged…