“A giant mess”: Trump’s war in Ecuador won’t slow the flow of drugs into the US

Joint drug enforcement operations in Ecuador provide little benefit to Americans or Ecuadorians

By Garrett Owen

National Affairs Fellow

Published March 12, 2026

President Donald Trump is escalating his administration’s de facto war on Latin American drug cartels.

New anti-drug trafficking operations are underway in Ecuador and critics worry that the administration’s strategy and tactics may worsen a decades-old conflict.

At the first Shield of the Americas summit earlier this month, Trump urged leaders from select South American and Caribbean countries to take action against what he called an “unacceptable threat” posed by cartels and international gangs.

“The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries,” Trump said. “We have to use our military. You have to use your military.”

At the summit, Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller similarly advocated for using “hard power” against cartels.

“Cartels that operate in this hemisphere are the ISIS and al-Qaida of this hemisphere,” Miller said.

A U.S.-Ecuadorian operation against a “narco-terrorist supply complex” was conducted the day prior, which was called “successful” by the Pentagon.

“At the request of Ecuador, the Department of War executed targeted action to advance our shared objective of dismantling narco-terrorist networks,” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on X. “Narco-terrorist networks will not find refuge in our hemisphere.”

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said the raid was “only the beginning.”

more:

https://www.salon.com/2026/03/12/a-giant-mess-trumps-war-in-ecuador-wont-slow-the-flow-of-drugs-into-the-us/