Drugs

Colombia produces approximately 70% of the world's cocaine.

Ecuador's geographic position between Peru and Colombia has made it a major transit corridor for cocaine and other drugs bound for the United States and Europe.

International drug trafficking cartels collaborate with local criminal gangs in Ecuador and exert influence across key port cities and extensive areas of the Pacific coast.

In 2025, the U.S. military conducted maritime strikes in international waters against vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that about 90% of the cocaine that reaches the United States originates in Colombia.

The United States has deployed naval ships, fighter jets, and drones in the region to conduct operations against drug cartels.

Colombia is the world's largest exporter of cocaine.

There is little evidence that fentanyl is produced in the Andes region (which includes Ecuador), and the vast majority of fentanyl that flows into the United States enters through Mexico.

The United Nations reported that coca cultivation in Colombia reached an all-time high in 2024.

Counterfeit pills pressed to resemble prescription opioid medications have been found laced with fentanyl and can cause fatal overdoses.

The Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean are major maritime transit regions for cocaine produced by the world's largest producers.