Confronting gang members at the heart of Ecuador’s drug battle

BBC correspondent Orla Guerin joins Ecuadorian police as drug‑trading gangs surge, revealing the front‑line struggle in this high‑crime nation.

Drugs are pouring into Ecuador from neighbouring Colombia and Peru — the world’s top producers — creating a surge in local drug crime.

Power‑house gangs that link to Mexican cartels and Albanian mafia orchestrate the smuggling, feeding the international cocaine market.

2025’s murder rate was one of the world’s highest, with over 9,200 people killed, according to the interior ministry.

United Nations monitors warn the situation is escalating, with violence escalating across border towns.