The term narco-state is theoretically given to countries where all legitimate institutions become contaminated by the unlawful businesses conducted by drug cartels or gangs. Over the past five years, Ecuador has slowly gone from a comparatively prosperous and safe Latin American country into one that fits the definition of narco-state in the region.
In recent years, Ecuador has been swept by a wave of organized crime and the increased activity of gangs that have focused on smuggling cocaine from Colombia to Europe using ports around the country. With these groups gaining both control and power in Ecuador, its status as one of Latin America's safest countries has been erased thanks to a homicide rate that has increased six-fold in the last five years.
