US, Ecuador Expand Security Cooperation With $55m Anti-Crime Package

November 13, 2026 | By Semahegn Nigatu

The United States and Ecuador have expanded security cooperation targeting drug trafficking, illicit financial networks and illegal mining, building on US assistance worth 55 million US dollars announced in September.

The latest measures followed a November 2-7 visit to Ecuador by F. Cartwright Weiland, the US assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs, during which officials signed agreements covering financial intelligence, maritime security and criminal investigations.

The September assistance package, announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, includes 45 million US dollars to dismantle narcoterrorist groups and 10 million US dollars to address illegal gold mining, gang recruitment, illicit finance and maritime drug trafficking.

During the visit to the Galápagos Islands, Weiland transferred a 38-foot interceptor boat to the Ecuadorian Navy. It is the latest of 14 boats the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is providing to Ecuador’s Navy and National Police.

The vessels are intended to help authorities intercept drug traffickers, disrupt illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and prevent maritime drug shipments from reaching the United States.

In Quito, Weiland and Ecuadorian officials signed an agreement granting the country’s Financial and Economic Analysis Unit (UAFE) access to advanced data analytics technology developed by US company Palantir.

The technology is expected to help UAFE identify illicit financial networks, support money laundering prosecutions and trace proceeds used to finance criminal groups.

Weiland and Ecuadorian Interior Minister John Reimberg also renewed an agreement originally signed in 2024 to strengthen the National Police’s capacity to prevent and investigate kidnappings and extortion.

According to the US State Department, Ecuador’s anti-kidnapping and anti-extortion police unit has worked with the US Embassy and Consulate since the agreement was first signed, helping rescue eight US citizens.

The visit also resulted in a declaration of intent between the assistant secretary and the Ministry of Interior to combat illicit gold trafficking, which the US government identified as a major source of revenue for narcoterrorist groups.

Source: FSX Business News