Ecuadorian fisherman are increasingly becoming prey to drug gangs

“Captain, bring your boat closer,” an Ecuadorian naval officer orders from a launch patrolling the Gulf of Guayaquil, a route traffickers exploit to transport narcotics to the high seas.

Guayaquil, on Ecuador’s southern Pacific coast, has become a crucial site for the transportation of hundreds of tonnes of narcotics, primarily cocaine, to the United States or Europe.

Ecuador has recovered around 500 tonnes of cocaine since the rightist administration of Guillermo Lasso took office in 2021.

“This is a routine inspection,” the navy officer exclaims as his comrades with rifles scan the crew’s paperwork and cargo on the small boat.