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Authorities in Ecuador arrested more than 250 people on the first day of a nationwide operation targeting drug trafficking and related crimes, the country’s Interior Ministry said on Monday.
The ministry said most of the 253 arrests were linked to violations of curfew restrictions and illegal possession of weapons. The operations also led to the destruction of three suspected criminal strongholds used to store arms.
The security operations, which are being carried out with support from the United States, are focused on provinces hardest hit by drug-related violence.
Nightly curfews have been imposed in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas and El Oro.
The restrictions, which run from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time, will remain in place for two weeks, with only emergency and medical personnel allowed to move during those hours.
Interior Minister John Reimberg said security forces also captured a suspected leader of a hitman network believed to be operating across several provinces.
However, some residents expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the curfews. A security guard in Guayaquil, the capital of Guayas province and a key port city, said the restrictions appear to be enforced mainly on major roads where the military is deployed, while armed criminals still move freely in neighbourhoods.
Ecuador is part of a 17-nation alliance formed to combat drug cartels during a recent summit convened by US President Donald Trump.
President Daniel Noboa, a close ally of Washington in the region, has intensified efforts to tackle cocaine trafficking over the past two years.
Despite the crackdown, crimes linked to the drug trade, including killings, disappearances and extortion, remain widespread in the country.
