Ecuador: 50,000+ arrested in 2026 anti-crime ops, $4.24M drug trafficking impact

Ecuador's Interior Ministry reports over 50,000 arrests in operations against criminal groups in 2026, with an economic impact of approximately $4.24 million on drug trafficking. The scale suggests a sustained security crackdown, but the economic impact figure appears low relative to the arrest count, possibly reflecting seizures of cash/assets rather than full trafficking revenue. This underscores the government's ongoing campaign against organized crime, which has been a central security challenge.