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But in-depth reporting is costly, so to continue this vital work, we have an ambitious goal to add 5, new members. We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today? Ecuador was known for peace, but it has become one of the most violent countries in South America. The following day, armed gang members stormed the TC Television news program, broadcasting their hostage-taking and violence live to make an announcement of their own. It was far from the only act of shocking violence the country has suffered this week. Prisons were taken over in violent riots , bombs were set off in multiple locations, and police and prison guards were kidnapped and murdered. At least 10 people were killed in gang attacks, including police, and over a hundred prison staff were taken hostage. While there are factors that accelerated a spike in crime over the last couple of years, experts say this is a story nearly a decade in the making. Sandwiched between the two, Ecuador often acted as a drug transit country, but it did not suffer from the violence and armed conflict that plagued its neighbors. Then in , the FARC largely demobilized — a historic peace process for Colombia, but also one that created a power vacuum in northern Ecuador. Simultaneously, cocaine demand started shifting drastically, declining in the US and surging in Europe, where since cocaine seizures have quadrupled, according to Freeman. This has all had terrifying effects for the country. For years, Ecuador had one of the lowest murder rates in the region, but homicides have more than quadrupled since Bombings, assassinations, and shootouts have proliferated. In , when headless corpses were found suspended from a bridge in the city of Esmeraldas, some analysts concluded that the kind of cartel violence that terrorized Mexican cities like Juarez in the s had found a new home in Ecuador. Last year, a presidential candidate, who had reportedly received threats from the local affiliates of the Sinaloa cartel , was assassinated. While former President Guillermo Lasso attempted to crack down on gangs , increasing police presence and even deploying the military failed to contain the violence. Experts and former local officials say that not only has the government failed to curtail the violence, it may be abetting it as well. Bukele was elected in promising to end the gang violence epidemic that contributed to El Salvador once having the highest murder rate in the world; he has largely done so via a campaign of mass arrests that has made him domestically popular even as it has been criticized for widespread human rights abuse. Ecuador has already been transformed. Experts say Ecuador needs to first address the systemic corruption and infiltration of state institutions that have allowed gangs to amass their power. And really, Walsh says, a new regional approach that addresses the international nature of narcotrafficking is needed to ensure Ecuador does not continue down the path of spiraling violence that has destabilized its neighbors — including rethinking drug prohibition altogether. Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day. Will he take it? What the author saw in Palestine. Looking to understand the Israel-Hamas war? Start with these Vox podcast episodes. The acclaimed writer takes on another intractable problem. Skip to main content The homepage Vox Vox logo. The homepage Vox Vox logo. Navigation Drawer. Become a Member. Vox Vox logo Cocaine, cartels, and corruption: The crisis in Ecuador, explained. Support Vox. Cocaine, cartels, and corruption: The crisis in Ecuador, explained Ecuador was known for peace, but it has become one of the most violent countries in South America. Facebook Link. He previously worked as a senior Latin America and Caribbean analyst covering the region and has reported on civil conflict and politics from Central America. Can Ecuador reverse course? Most Popular. The new burnout generation. Member Exclusive. Today, Explained Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day. Email required. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. Advertiser Content From. More in World Politics. Why not? What happens next? Ta-Nehisi Coates on complexity, clarity, and truth. Vox podcasts tackle the Israel-Hamas war. Is the Israeli military ever leaving Gaza? Israel Oct By Ellen Ioanes. World Politics Oct By Joshua Keating. The Gray Area Oct By Sean Illing. Podcasts Oct 7. By Vox Staff. World Politics Oct 7. Culture Oct 6 Member Exclusive. By Constance Grady. The Latest. Two hours ago. Investing can be intimidating. Where do I even start? The big political shift that explains the election. Oct I left my religion. Should I still raise my kid with it?

How Ecuador went from tourist haven to a nation in the grip of gangs

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Death can come from anywhere,' Paul tells us. Small, skinny and about 30 years old, he is a member of one of Ecuador's most violent criminal gangs. He believes he has been on a rival group's hit list for a year and a half and the only reason he is still alive is thanks to his mother's prayers: 'It's like God doesn't want me up above, and the devil won't take me down below. Paul not his real name explains he has spent about half of his life in the gang. Like many, he joined young, when he was He thought it was going to be all 'raves, parties, and girls'. As we talk, we drive around Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city. Paul is afraid that if he stays still too long, his enemies from rival gangs - which are waging a bloody turf war - will catch up with him. So we keep moving to make it harder for anyone to follow us. Until recently considered one of the safest countries in the region, Ecuador, which is also the gateway to the Galapagos Islands and home to the rainforest, attracted many tourists. In , police recorded about 8, violent deaths. That is eight times more than in and puts Ecuador ahead of countries like Mexico and Colombia. In January, Ecuador made headlines around the world when a TV station was taken over by armed masked men during a live broadcast. At the same time, gangs carried out kidnappings and set off explosions in multiple cities, and prisoners rioted in jails. President Daniel Noboa, who had been sworn in just two months earlier, declared a state of emergency. Since then, police have arrested more than 16, people. The state of emergency ended on Monday, but the president maintained a state of 'internal armed conflict', with the military retaining exceptional powers. He wants to introduce further measures such as stricter gun controls and tougher prison sentences. These will be put to a vote in a referendum on 21 April. There is no doubt that the lives of many Ecuadoreans have changed due to the rise in gang violence. Dr Gabriela Almeida says she is seeing 'more and more patients with anxiety, and people who are suffering from panic attacks'. Dr Almeida herself avoids going out at night. Much of that nightmare has been fuelled by the growth of the drugs trade. Worldwide production and consumption of cocaine have reached record levels, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Between and alone, cocaine production shot up by nearly a third and international drug cartels began looking for new routes through which to smuggle the cocaine produced in Colombia and Peru. Ecuador, which is sandwiched between Peru and Colombia and whose authorities lacked experience in fighting trafficking, was seen as the perfect option. As a result, Ecuador has been transformed into a global distribution hub, where drugs are stored, prepared for transit - often hidden inside shipping containers - and sent out to their final destination. Paul tells us that he shifted from dealing relatively small quantities of drugs to trafficking kilogrammes of cocaine. He says his new role consisted of hiding illegal drugs among other products inside shipping containers. Ninety per cent of illegal drugs leaving Ecuador are hidden inside shipping containers departing the port of Guayaquil, according to Ecuador's coastguard. The coastguard has stepped up its surveillance but it says the risk for its staff has increased, too. Now, anyone we see could have high-calibre weapons,' one of the coastguard commanders tells us, as we join his team on a boat patrolling the port and surrounding areas. He does not want us to reveal his name for fear of reprisals from the gangs and wears a grey balaclava to hide his face. His armed team carries out up to four patrols a day, looking for gang members who use small boats to try to hide drugs in containers stacked on the huge ships. The commander says that they have been hampered by corruption in the past and Paul confirms that the gang used to pay off someone in the port to turn the security cameras away at key moments so gang members could carry out their illicit activities undetected. For Paul, more drug trafficking meant 'more money, better weapons'. But it also unleashed bloody turf wars between rival gangs. Territory for selling drugs, territory for trafficking - even for extorting money from people and to kidnap,' Paul explains. When we ask why he refuses to leave the gang, he claims he has been less involved since going into hiding, but the gang members looking for him are 'everywhere'. He tells us he keeps up his connections with his gang so that they provide him with backup if needed and more weapons to protect himself. He could hand himself in to the authorities, but he claims that 'the only way to quit the gang would be to leave the country' as gangs are active in prisons. After we press him further about the nature of his involvement, he reluctantly admits that he has killed people but says he regrets destroying families. I struggle to sleep because I've hurt so many people. When we put all of these issues to the government, we were told it had 'dramatically reduced' the number of violent deaths, 'eliminated the power of organised gangs' in prisons, investigated cases of corruption, and it was winning the fight against 'the mafia'. But the people tasked with bringing gang members to justice have become targets. Six public prosecutors have been killed in under two years. He was shot dead in Guayaquil in January. Fellow public prosecutor Michelle Luna recalls him as 'a very cheerful person' who loved his job. She and her colleagues fear that anyone who tries to take on Ecuador's violent gangs is now a target for organised crime and they are demanding extra safety measures. They want prosecutors' identities to be kept secret and for remote hearings to be brought in so they can avoid the risk of travelling to the same courtroom where the suspects are tried. While she has not received threats personally, Luna worries it is only a matter of time until she does and is considering changing careers. Skip to content. US Election. How Ecuador went from tourist haven to a nation in the grip of gangs. Paul has been in a gang for around half his life, since he was But now it has the highest recorded murder rate in Latin America. Getty Images. Armed police stand guard during a security operation in Guayaquil. Guayaquil, Ecuador's drugs hub. Policemen display seized drugs, weapons and phones in Guayaquil in March Gangs like the one Paul is part of play a key role. The coastguard says corruption has made its job harder. The coastguard carries out regular patrols around the port and surrounding areas. Fighting for justice, suffering injustice. Public prosecutor Michelle Luna wants better protection for people trying to bring criminals to justice. Ecuador's youngest mayor found shot dead. Murder of Ecuadorean candidate 'planned from jail'. Ecuador security forces launch major prison operation. Drugs trade.

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