U.S. troops help Ecuador arrest dozens linked to notorious Mexican cartel

September 24, 2026 / 3:42 PM EDT / CBS/AFP

U.S. troops helped Ecuador dismantle a local branch of Mexico's notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), arresting more than 30 members, Ecuador's interior minister said Thursday.

Quito, a Washington ally, is enthusiastically cooperating with Donald Trump's crackdown on organized crime across Latin America.

Thursday's early-morning operation "was conducted jointly with U.S. troops and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)," Ecuadoran Interior Minister John Reimberg wrote on X.

Over 30 Ecuadorans were arrested for allegedly belonging to the group with a "direct connection to the CJNG," he said.

The minister said the group was involved in trafficking cocaine from Colombia, the world's largest producer, to international markets via ports in southwestern Ecuador.

Some 320 Ecuadoran police officers and 50 uniformed personnel from the U.S. Southern Command took part in the operation spanning several cities, he said.

Reimberg also released photos and videos of the operation, showing officers conduct raids and arrests suspects.

The military offensive against criminal organizations in Ecuador has caused alarm among human rights organizations, which denounce cases of excessive use of force, torture and enforced disappearance.

Right-wing President Daniel Noboa brushed off those concerns during an address to the United…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/