MIAMI - The U.K. Latin America Under-Secretary Chris Elmore announced new efforts to strengthen anti-narcotics cooperation between the two governments of Ecuador and the United Kingdom on Monday.
Elmore departed for an official state visit to the South American nation to affirm the British government’s commitment to partnering with the region’s countries as part of its latest effort to disrupt the international cocaine trade from Latin America.
Since 2016, Ecuador has grown into the world’s largest hub for cocaine distribution, earning the title of largest exporter with over 80% of all cocaine arriving in Europe originating from Ecuador, thereby contributing to the nation’s rising rates of drug-related homicides and violent crime as rival local gangs and regional drug trafficking organizations vie for control over Ecuador’s lucrative drug routes.
The British Minister took an on-the-ground review earlier this week of anti-drug trafficking operations in Ecuador in preparation for joint cooperation to bolster the internal security apparatus of the Ecuadorian government.
Elmore met with local Ecuadorian officers on the frontlines in the nation’s war on drugs waged by the conservative-populist government of 38-year-old President Daniel Noboa, who was largely elected for his strong-on-crime approach and his vow to crack down on the nation’s drug gangs.
According to government data, Ecuador experienced its deadliest year on record in 2025, as the national government’s military and local security forces work to regain territory from the violent drug gangs of Los Lobos and Los Choneros, two of the most powerful organizations operating inside Ecuadorian territory.
The United Kingdom views Ecuador as a “platform country” for cocaine produced in Peru to the south and Colombia to the north, packaged and loaded onto shipping containers on Ecuador’s Pacific Coast, mainly the port of Guayquil, and destined for buyers in the United States and Europe.
On Monday, Jan. 12, Spanish police announced their largest maritime cocaine seizure in the nation’s history, confiscating 10 tonnes (9,994 kilograms) of cocaine stored in salt shipments in the Atlantic Ocean.
Authorities say the shipment originated from Brazil.
In 2025, the Noboa government also welcomed diplomats from Italy to strengthen anti-narcotics cooperation. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni signed a cooperation agreement with the Ecuadorian government in September 2025, with a focus on combating drug trafficking in Latin America and working together on intelligence-sharing arrangements.
The British visit to Ecuador also coincides with recent U.S. operations in the South Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific Ocean, conducting targeted strikes on suspected drug vessels with narcotics shipments destined for U.S. shores.
In a statement from Elmore, the British government expressed concern over the increasing volume of drugs transiting the South American nation, warning:
“Every year, hundreds of thousands of kilos of cocaine are smuggled from South America into Europe. In the U.K. alone, more than 28 tonnes of cocaine were seized by the police and Border Force in 2023/2024.”
Under-Secretary Elmore also added: “It’s a vast criminal industry, but amazingly, the majority of cocaine that ends up on the streets of Europe comes through Ecuadorean ports.”
Ecuador is the British government’s closest partner in the region, and reaffirmed by its strong cooperation with Ecuadorian authorities in Quito, stating the nation is a “vital partner for Britain on security...”
