FBI opens another international office. Special agents will cooperate with local police

The investigations will cover organized crime, money laundering, and corruption, Interior Minister John Reimberg said on March 11. The agreement between the United States and Ecuador may be seen as part of the cooperation under the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition, launched by Donald Trump last weekend. The President gathered more than a dozen leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean to initiate what he described as a new security framework for the Western Hemisphere.

Minister Reimberg stated that the FBI’s work in Ecuador would “begin immediately.” The office will be located within the US Embassy in Quito. The Embassy described it as a “strategic and operational milestone” that will enhance the ability to “identify, dismantle, and bring to justice those who traffic drugs, launder money, smuggle weapons, and finance terrorism.”

US-Ecuador cooperation in combating the drug trade is already underway. Last week, joint military operations were launched against drug cartels in the country. US Special Forces soldiers were “advising and supporting Ecuadorian commandos during raids,” providing planning, intelligence, and logistical assistance. The opening of the FBI office marks another step forward in the fight against the cartels.

Ecuador remains one of the main transit routes for narcotics produced in Colombia and Peru. Once the safest country in Latin America, it has now become a battleground for cartels. Both the US and Ecuadorian governments have made combating the drug trade a central focus of their agendas.

The FBI maintains international offices around the world, located within US embassies and consulates. In Latin America, such offices already operate in Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Panama, El Salvador, Chile, and the Dominican Republic.