US Southern Command Backs Anti-Drug Operations in Ecuador

International security cooperation solidified early Wednesday, August 26, 2026, as the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) backed anti-narcotics operations in Ecuador alongside the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Simultaneous interventions, dubbed Jericó and Factoría, successfully dismantled logistical and financial networks connected to the criminal organizations Los Choneros and Los Lobos across several Ecuadorian provinces. SOUTHCOM Commander General Francis L. Donovan hailed the outcomes as a decisive victory for the region. He emphasized that these joint operations delivered a significant blow to the logistics, finances, and leadership of illicit networks operating in the Western Hemisphere.

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Ecuador's announcement today of a successful series of simultaneous operations targeting the Los Choneros and Los Lobos Designated Terrorist Organizations is a decisive victory for the region. Supported by the powerful and precise capabilities of the U.S. whole-of-government…

Donovan formally congratulated Ecuadorian authorities and the DEA for their execution of the joint interventions. He noted that a joint interagency team, comprising the DEA, the Department of Defense, SOUTHCOM, and Ecuadorian forces, aims to apply systemic pressure against narcoterrorist networks threatening the hemisphere's security. DEA Administrator Terry Cole described the operation as a key strike against a major transnational drug trafficking network linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Cole stated that the DEA collaborated closely with Ecuador's National Police and the Attorney General's Office throughout the investigation. This coordinated work, he explained, helps neutralize resources, funding, and clandestine aviation infrastructure used for trafficking cocaine and synthetic drugs to Central America, Mexico, and the United States. The operations targeted key criminal groups, reinforcing the commitment to work with Ecuador within the Americas' Coalition Against Cartels (A3C).

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U.S. Southern Command congratulates our Ecuadorian partners and the DEA on a series of coordinated operations targeting the Los Choneros and Los Lobos Designated Terrorist Organizations. Through a joint interagency team composed of @DEAHQ, @DeptofWar, SOUTHCOM, and Ecuadorian…