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Security & Strategic Review - August 2024
ECUADOR: Legal and illegal arms trafficking fuelling crime wave
The massive violent crime wave that began forming in Ecuador in 2020 has its roots in both the legal and illegal arms trade, according to a report released in June by the Observatorio Ecuatoriano de Crimen Organizado (Oeco), a local think tank. The report highlights the longstanding cross-border smuggling of weapons from Colombia, as well as gangs’ new purchasing power due to Ecuador’s growing role as a trafficking hub for cocaine destined for North America and Europe. Oeco also criticised years of lax enforcement of gun controls, which were loosened under President Daniel Noboa’s predecessor, Guillermo Lasso (2021-2023).
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