U.S. Troops Join Raids in Ecuador Against Network Linked to Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel
More than 50 U.S. Southern Command personnel are supporting Ecuador’s National Police in raids across several provinces against a criminal structure that authorities say is directly tied to Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Ecuador has brought in U.S. troops to help target a criminal network it says is tied to one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels.
Interior Minister John Reimberg confirmed that more than 50 U.S. uniformed personnel from U.S. Southern Command are working alongside Ecuador’s National Police in operations against a structure with “direct” links to the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación, or Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Ecuadorian media report that the raids began before dawn.
According to officials and local outlets, the joint operation is under way in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí and El Oro. Reimberg said the U.S. forces are providing training and technology to support searches and arrests. One report from Ecuador said around 30 suspects have been detained.
Authorities describe the targeted network as using Ecuador as a platform to move drugs toward international markets, with a focus on exports via ports and other routes.
The deployment makes U.S. military personnel a visible part of Ecuador’s clampdown on organised crime at a time when the country is struggling with cartel-style violence, curfews and states of emergency.
Signals to watch include whether Quito and Washington expand the mandate or geographic scope of these joint operations, and how other Latin American governments respond to the precedent of U.S. troops taking part directly in internal security missions.
Sources
- OSINT