# FBI opens first Ecuador office targeting cartels

Published: 2026-03-19 · Severity: low
Canonical: https://vorant.io/reports/7475443e-023b-5892-aec4-3ae882d47d6d/fbi-opens-first-ecuador-office-targeting-cartels

> The FBI established its first permanent office in Quito to combat transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, and terrorism financing alongside Ecuador's National Police.

The FBI has opened its first permanent office in Ecuador, located within the U.S. Embassy in Quito, marking a significant expansion of law enforcement cooperation between the two countries. The office will support joint investigations with a newly established vetted unit of Ecuador's National Police targeting drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, money laundering, and terrorism financing. Ecuador has become a critical logistical hub for drug trafficking routes, with approximately 70% of the world's cocaine shipped from Ecuadorian ports.

The office will be staffed by a permanently assigned FBI assistant legal attaché from the Bureau's Criminal Division, enabling closer intelligence sharing and investigative coordination. This presence complements existing DEA and HSI operations in the country and provides Ecuador access to the full range of U.S. law enforcement capabilities. The initiative reflects Ecuador's status as a key U.S. ally in Latin America under President Daniel Noboa.

Collaboration will focus on disrupting transnational criminal organizations including Los Lobos and Los Choneros, which control regional shipping routes. The vetted team structure ensures secure operational partnership between FBI agents and specially trained, cleared Ecuadorian National Police officers across the FBI's full mission portfolio including counterterrorism, cyber, counterintelligence, and counterespionage matters.

## Mentioned in this report

- Threat actors: Los Choneros, Los Lobos

Source reporting: https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/fbi-opens-permanent-office-in-ecuador

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