Public Project
Drug Gangs Ruin Retirement Paradise
Summary
Ecuadoreans and foreigners alike have had to dramatically alter their way of life as a country that had been known for its natural beauty and relative safety quickly turned into one of the world’s most violent. This year, Ecuador is on track to top 7,000 killings, seven times the number in 2018, government data shows. Story for The Wall Street Journal
Ecuadoreans and foreigners alike have had to dramatically alter their way of life as a country that had been known for its natural beauty and relative safety quickly turned into one of the world’s most violent. This year, Ecuador is on track to top 7,000 killings, seven times the number in 2018, government data shows. Beachfronts towns have been transformed into violent transit points for cocaine. Powerful local gangs help foreign cartels and mafias move the drugs to consumers in the U.S. and Europe. Police are outgunned, while the government has been distracted by protests and political gridlock following the pandemic.
Story for The Wall Street Journal
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[ESPAÑOL]
Ecuatorianos y extranjeros por igual han tenido que alterar drásticamente su forma de vida a medida que un país que había sido conocido por su belleza natural y relativa seguridad se convirtió rápidamente en uno de los más violentos del mundo. Este año, Ecuador va camino de superar los 7.000 asesinatos, siete veces más que en 2018, según datos del Gobierno. Las ciudades costeras se han transformado en violentos puntos de tránsito de cocaína. Poderosas bandas locales ayudan a cárteles y mafias extranjeros a transportar la droga hasta los consumidores de Estados Unidos y Europa. La policía está desarmada, mientras que el gobierno se ha distraído con las protestas y el bloqueo político tras la pandemia.
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