Ecuador's Wild West Shows Limits Of Noboa's 'Iron Fist'

Boats and artisanal docks are seen in the Huayala Estuary, in El Oro province, Ecuador (Credit: AFP)

On Ecuador's lawless southwest coast, drug gangs operate with impunity and terrified residents ask if their president's "iron fist" security policies are just words.

In a darkened military command center near the Peruvian border, eight Ecuadoran marines armed with rusting M4 rifles prepare for a patrol.