“There’s an unfortunate trend in the region where laws are really good on paper, but they’re not fully put into practice,” said Julia Yansura of the FACT Coalition.
Record cocaine production in Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia has fueled violence between local and international criminal groups in Ecuador, where homicides increased by 94.7% from 2021 to 2022.
With its highest homicide rate on record and a series of political killings, Ecuador continues to confront the sad reality of increased violence and involvement in drug trafficking.