Ecuador is currently facing a surge in violence due to its involvement in the cocaine trade. The country has been plagued by drug cartels, and the government has been unable to effectively combat their increasing brutality. In a recent incident, inmates in six different prisons took numerous guards and police officers hostage for over a day, while explosions occurred across the country. The 50 guards and seven officers were eventually released, but it remains unclear under what circumstances. The government believes that criminal gangs within the prisons carried out the violence in response to efforts to regain control of the jails by relocating inmates and confiscating weapons. The assassination of drug lord Rasquina three years ago has also caused a power vacuum, contributing to the current situation. Security analyst Daniel Ponton believes that these violent incidents are orchestrated to generate fear among the population and influence the political sphere. Ecuador is preparing for a presidential election next month, but one of the prominent candidates was assassinated prior to the first round. The candidate, Fernando Villavicencio, had expressed his willingness to combat organized crime and had specific plans to do so. He had proposed militarizing Ecuador’s ports and reclaiming control of the prisons, which ultimately led to his assassination. The Los Choneros cartel, led by Adolfo Macias, had threatened Villavicencio and his campaign team days before the murder. Ecuador’s geographic location has made it a favored destination for drug traffickers as it is situated between the world’s two largest producers of coca. The amount of seized cocaine in the country has increased significantly in recent years. The country’s use of the US dollar as its currency has also made it an ideal location for cartels to launder money. The control over drug routes across the Ecuador-Colombia border has become a competition among various groups since the demobilization of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016. Mexican drug cartels, present in Ecuador since the 1990s, have exploited the situation. Domestic groups within Ecuador have also become more professionalized and engaged in drug trafficking, contributing to the unprecedented levels of violence in the country. The recent violence in Ecuador has been linked to the power vacuum left by the assassination of Jorge Luis Zambrano, the leader of Los Choneros. While this event has contributed to the violence, it is merely a part of a larger issue. The overall problem is rooted in the geopolitical and security landscape, as different groups vie for control over the territory, cocaine flows, and weapon trafficking. To address this crisis, a regional approach is necessary, involving investment in development, sustainability, and capacity building across multiple countries.