US gives Ecuador nearly US$20 million to fight drug cartels

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed bolstering security cooperation on Thursday in violence-swept Ecuador, as he champions a shoot-first crackdown on the region’s criminal groups.

To a ceremonial honour guard and a pianist playing “America the Beautiful”, Rubio was escorted into the centuries-old palace in Quito’s old city and met behind closed doors with Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa.

A small crowd of pro-Noboa protesters gathered outside in the square to cheer on the president, who has deployed troops to combat violence that has transformed the country from one of Latin America’s safest to one of its most dangerous.

The visit comes two days after US forces said they blew up an alleged drug-running boat from a gang tied to Venezuela’s leftist government, in an operation US President Donald Trump said killed 11 people.

In Noboa, a businessman who has consolidated power since his surprise 2023 victory, Rubio could find a new ally in his campaign to strengthen security-minded right-wing leaders across Latin America.

Rubio, a Cuban-American and vociferous critic of the region’s leftists, could find a like-minded ally in Noboa, a 37-year-old conservative businessman born in Rubio’s hometown of Miami.