For decades, discussions about Latin America’s cocaine trade have tended to focus on the same places. Colombia and Peru produce much of the world’s coca, while Mexico’s cartels dominate trafficking into the US. But between these known parts of the supply chain, another country has quietly become important: Ecuador.
Ecuador is not a major cocaine producer. Instead, its location between Colombia and Peru, combined with ports such as Guayaquil and Posorja on the Pacific Ocean, have turned Ecuador into a crucial transit and export hub connecting South American cocaine production with global markets.
