Overview
- Ecuador has launched a two-week crackdown on trafficking networks with U.S. support, framed within the 17-country Shield of the Americas coalition.
- Night curfews from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. are in force for two weeks in Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and El Oro.
- Officials report 253 detainees on the first day, mostly for curfew violations and weapons possession, and say troops used authorized artillery to destroy three targets with no casualties recorded.
- The government cites a large security deployment, with officials saying 75,000 personnel are engaged nationwide and 35,000 police operating in the targeted provinces.
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro alleges a bombing on his country’s side of the border, a claim under investigation that Ecuador rejects, while the FBI moves to open an office in Quito to bolster cooperation on organized crime.