As Washington made combating fentanyl a priority, cocaine trafficking has surged. Nowhere have the ripples been felt like in Ecuador, where criminal groups have run rampant.
Fighting an international alliance of gangs, guerrilla groups, drug cartels and mafias, the Ecuadorean military found itself alone.
By 2022, the government had lost control of major prisons, with gangs running them as recruitment centers. Killings we... [1425 chars]