More than 320 Ecuadorian police officers and 50 U.S. Southern Command personnel participated in coordinated early morning raids across three Ecuadorian provinces on Wednesday, dismantling a drug trafficking network with direct ties to Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel and arresting 30 suspects.

Historic Ground Operations in South America

The operation in the provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos and El Oro marks the latest escalation in the Trump administration's Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, known as A3C. U.S. troops took part in anti drug raids on Ecuadorian soil, a significant expansion of direct American military involvement in South American cartel operations.

Ecuador's Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo described one of the targets as among Ecuador's highest value military objectives. The operation neutralized a cartel operative known as "Charlie" who belonged to the Los Choneros group and Colombia's Oliver Sinisterra Front while maintaining ties to the Jalisco cartel. His mission was to sow terror across Ecuador, according to Loffredo.

Bipartisan Security Partnership Deepens

Ecuador's Foreign Minister Roberto Kury detailed the expanding U.S. security partnership, which now includes American forces working alongside Ecuadorian military and police in joint operations against drug cartels. The coordinated raids involved DEA agents and members of U.S. Southern Command in addition to Ecuadorian police.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth amplified Minister Loffredo's message on social media, writing that the operation demonstrated "The Americas Counter Cartel Coalition in action." The U.S. military has boarded, searched and sunk vessels allegedly supporting Los Choneros narco terrorists as part of the broader campaign.

Cartel Networks Under Pressure

The United States charged five senior CJNG leaders in August and offered over $100 million in rewards for information on eight fugitives linked to the cartel. The Ecuador operation represents coordinated pressure on Jalisco networks across the hemisphere, following earlier U.S. assisted operations targeting South American cartel infrastructure on Ecuadorian soil in March.

Ecuador has emerged as an unlikely but critical ally in Trump's drug cartel crackdown. The country's willingness to host joint operations with U.S. forces signals a new phase in hemispheric cooperation against transnational criminal organizations operating between Mexico and South America.