Largest city and economic hub of Ecuador, port on the Guayas River
Europol-led operations have arrested dozens in Spain and Ecuador in a drug-smuggling ring linked to Dubai investors. The crackdown targets a network moving South American cocaine and MDMA into Europe, with shipments hidden in commercial containers and bananas. The operation has involved dozens of raids and the seizure of vessels, cash, and weapons.
The United States is stepping up a regional push against major drug-trafficking groups, designating several Latin American gangs as foreign terrorist organisations and expanding military-security cooperation. The move comes during a high-profile visit by the US secretary of state to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and signals intensified pressure on groups with narcotics that reach across borders.
The United States reports a new deportation of a Nicaraguan dissident who was released after protests in 2018. He has been deported to Managua and detained again in the same prison where fellow critics were tortured. Human rights groups say the crackdown has driven hundreds of thousands to flee, while Washington presses for accountability amid ongoing expulsions.
The former Brazilian president has departed Brazil amid a money-laundering probe after losing the election to Lula. He, his wife and daughters traveled to the United States, with reports indicating passports were handed over and entry visas under consideration. Authorities say the departure could widen tensions between Brazil and the United States as the probe proceeds.
Bolsonaro and his family have secured entry visas to the United States after leaving Brazil amid a court order to surrender passports. The former president’s move follows a chaotic exit from Brazil via Argentina and Ecuador, with a destination possibly Miami, as Lula da Silva’s government condemns the act.