BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 9. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Ecuador as part of a three-country tour of South America aimed at strengthening security cooperation with governments aligned with President Donald Trump, particularly on efforts to combat drug trafficking.
Rubio is traveling to Quito for talks with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who has strongly supported the Trump administration’s tougher approach to counternarcotics operations and illegal immigration.
Ecuador has faced a severe rise in drug-related violence since 2021, as rival criminal groups and local gangs have fought for control of cocaine-smuggling routes and coastal ports. The country is located between Colombia and Peru, the world’s two largest cocaine-producing countries.
Under Noboa, Ecuador has become a key US partner in regional counterdrug operations.
Rubio’s visit coincides with a US military operation in which American forces intercepted and sank a vessel that Washington said was linked to the Ecuadorian criminal group Los Choneros. US authorities said it was the sixth such operation in less than two weeks and the second in two days.
The latest operation also comes amid changes in the US approach to suspected drug-trafficking vessels. People aboard floating refuelling stations allegedly supporting drug trafficking have reportedly been removed and transferred to Ecuadorian authorities.
The development follows a series of US strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in Latin American waters since September 2025. At least 227 people have been killed in those operations, according to the report, while the Trump administration has described those targeted as “narcoterrorists” without publicly providing evidence.
Speaking in Barranquilla on Tuesday, Rubio and Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella praised the strengthening of US-Colombia relations, particularly in the security sector.
Rubio said the United States shares common interests with Colombia, Ecuador and Peru in combating transnational criminal groups and expanding economic cooperation.
After his meetings in Ecuador, Rubio is scheduled to travel to Lima, where he will meet Peru’s new President Keiko Fujimori.
