President of Ecuador says democracy is threatened by drug trafficking

The President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, affirmed yesterday, Thursday, that democracy is threatened by international drug trafficking, for which he urged the public forces to play a leading role in confronting this “enemy”, to which he attributes the increase of violence and criminality in the country.

“In the current historical juncture, we face the challenge of preserving and rebuilding democracy threatened by dark forces, by international drug trafficking, by organized crime, and on a much smaller scale, by common crime,” said Laso at the ceremony commemorating 102 years of the institutional life of the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE).

“To confront these enemies, the FAE and all the forces of the State are called to play a leading role because, without public force, there is no Republic,” he added, at a time when Ecuador is facing an escalation of insecurity.

Lasso, who took office in May 2021, blamed previous governments for “deliberately weakening” the operational capabilities of the Armed Forces and the National Police and pointed out that violence is “the consequence of having allowed drug trafficking to contaminate society”.

“Now that we are in full social and economic recovery, your work continues to be fundamental (…), especially your contribution to face our greatest current concern: the insecurity suffered by Ecuadorian citizens and families,” Lasso said to the FAE.

He recalled that the institution is part of a Joint Task Force deployed in the province of Esmeraldas (north), bordering Colombia, to combat organized crime, drug trafficking, and subversion operating in that country.

It also participates in joint surveillance and patrolling missions with other forces in arms control and logistical activities.

The President added that a solid foundation of peace and security is needed to advance toward a country of opportunities, as this generates the confidence to invest, open businesses, and create jobs.

In this context, he stressed the need to develop a comprehensive security and peace plan for Ecuador while announcing his decision to strengthen and recover the operational capabilities of the Armed Forces.

To this end, he ordered the Ministry of Economy to provide the resources to recover six of 14 helicopters out of operation and to have a new Air Base in the current Mariscal Sucre airport in Quito, the country’s capital, as soon as possible.

So far this year, Ecuador has seized 165 tons of drugs and arrested more than 10,400 people in the fight against drug trafficking, according to local police.

Ecuador, located between Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest producers of cocaine, was the third country in the world with the most significant amount of cocaine seized in 2020, behind Colombia and the United States, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s World Drug Report 2022.