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In an unprecedented escalation of the U.S. war on cartels, 50 U.S. commandos and the DEA joined over 320 Ecuadorian National Police officers in nationwide raids, arresting more than 30 members of Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) across Guayaquil and seven other cities. Concurrently, U.S. Southern Command assisted Ecuadorian forces in eliminating local drug lord "Charlie." Discover how joint U.S.-Ecuadorian ground operations, Foreign Terrorist Organization designations, and direct troop deployments are targeting the transit hub responsible for 70% of global cocaine flows.
⏱️ CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Historic Operational Precedent: US Commandos Conducting Arrests in Ecuador
02:08 - Targeting Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) Infrastructure
05:20 - US SOUTHCOM & Ecuadorian Forces Liquidate "Charlie"
06:39 - Ecuador's Strategic Transit Pivot: 70% of Global Cocaine Shipping Node
08:39 - Militarization of the War on Drugs: Operation Southern Spear & Laser Border Assets
11:03 - The Evolution of US-Ecuadorian Security Cooperation & Major Non-NATO Ally Potential
14:53 - Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) Designations & Maritime Recruitment Cracking
Support us directly as we bring you independent, up-to-date reporting on military news and global conflicts by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMilitaryShow/join
#militarystrategy #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis
#themilitaryshow
SOURCES: https://pastebin.com/KZW6dqT4
In an unprecedented escalation of the U.S. war on cartels, 50 U.S. commandos and the DEA joined over 320 Ecuadorian National Police officers in nationwide raids, arresting more than 30 members of Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) across Guayaquil and seven other cities. Concurrently, U.S. Southern Command assisted Ecuadorian forces in eliminating local drug lord "Charlie." Discover how joint U.S.-Ecuadorian ground operations, Foreign Terrorist Organization designations, and direct troop deployments are targeting the transit hub responsible for 70% of global cocaine flows.
⏱️ CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Historic Operational Precedent: US Commandos Conducting Arrests in Ecuador
02:08 - Targeting Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) Infrastructure
05:20 - US SOUTHCOM & Ecuadorian Forces Liquidate "Charlie"
06:39 - Ecuador's Strategic Transit Pivot: 70% of Global Cocaine Shipping Node
08:39 - Militarization of the War on Drugs: Operation Southern Spear & Laser Border Assets
11:03 - The Evolution of US-Ecuadorian Security Cooperation & Major Non-NATO Ally Potential
14:53 - Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) Designations & Maritime Recruitment Cracking
Support us directly as we bring you independent, up-to-date reporting on military news and global conflicts by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMilitaryShow/join
#militarystrategy #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis
#themilitaryshow
SOURCES: https://pastebin.com/KZW6dqT4
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:01America's war against the cartels is escalating with each passing month.
00:06It started with a declaration, then strikes.
00:09Now we're seeing US troops do something that we've never seen before.
00:13They're operating inside a South American country,
00:15with permission from that country's government to conduct arrests.
00:19This level of cooperation is historic and, more importantly, extremely effective.
00:24And it's all being focused on one country that is a key cog in the South American drug trade.
00:29Ecuador.
00:31On September 24th, the news broke that 50 US soldiers had completed a significant series of arrests inside Ecuador,
00:38with the help of Ecuadorian law enforcement.
00:41By the end of the raids, over 30 members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG,
00:46were in cuffs, being led away by the very last people they expected to see on their territory.
00:52It wasn't the US that broke the news, nor the Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA,
00:57which was involved in the raids.
00:58Rather, it was the Ecuadorian Interior Minister, John Reinberg,
01:02who took to EX to proudly proclaim how effective a new wave of cooperation between his country and the US
01:08has become.
01:09We're going to explain what Reinberg said and what all of this means in a moment.
01:14Before we do, subscribe and tell us what you think in the comments below.
01:17And if you want even more from the channel, consider becoming a member for access to exclusive content.
01:21The operation was carried out this dawn by the National Police and was conducted jointly with North American troops and
01:28the DEA,
01:29resulting in more than 30 people detained in Guayaquil, Daula, San Borondón, Ventanas, Pueblo Viejo, Vincés and Machala, Reinberg declared.
01:38This wasn't some small regional operation.
01:41It was countrywide and potentially crippling to the Mexican cartel that uses Ecuador to get its product into the US
01:48and beyond.
01:49We don't know a huge amount about the operation other than it took eight months of planning and investigation to
01:54pull off.
01:55Work behind the scenes and away from the attention of those who were detained was key to all of this
02:00happening.
02:01Presumably this means the DEA has been working closely with Ecuadorian law enforcement,
02:05the US military waiting in the wings for the go-ahead.
02:08That call came in September.
02:10And soon after, 30 people were arrested.
02:13The organization that the US and its Ecuadorian allies tackled has no links to local gangs, Reinberg adds.
02:19Rather, they were responsible for collecting, transporting, distributing and even marketing drugs provided by the CJNG.
02:26We also know that beyond the 50 US commandos, over 320 members of Ecuador's National Police were involved in the
02:33bust.
02:34Ecuador's Interior Minister has revealed much more than that, though he has given us another morsel of information.
02:39Soon after this initial announcement, Reinberg shared a video to his ex-account.
02:43That video cuts quickly between photo after photo of raids and arrests, with US soldiers clearly visible at several points.
02:50We continue working, Reinberg declared, as he shared 30 seconds of footage to highlight the impact of more than eight
02:56months of work.
02:58Smashed glass, confused perps, and the luxury that comes with being part of the cartel infrastructure outside of Mexico are
03:04all shown.
03:05The collapse of it all set to ACDC's thunderstruck.
03:09And that's exactly how the drug peddlers who have just been taken into custody must have felt, as their homes
03:14and strongholds were raided over and over again.
03:17The Wall Street Journal also reported on this historic event, and it spoke to a security expert at a think
03:22tank named the Washington Office on Latin America.
03:25That expert, Adam Isaacson, confirmed what we already know.
03:30Nothing like this has been done before.
03:32What we're seeing in Ecuador is unlike anything we've seen even during the Cold War.
03:36If it's the model that gets replicated in the region, we're going to see the US troops on the ground
03:40very close to or participating in combat, Isaacson declared.
03:45We'll be getting into a lot more detail on the cooperation between the US and Ecuador later.
03:50First, it's important to note that this wasn't just a blow for Ecuadorian drug traffickers.
03:55America's ultimate target in all of this has already been mentioned.
03:58The CJNG cartel will be licking its wounds and trying to figure out what the hell it's supposed to do
04:03next after what the US and Ecuador just did.
04:05The cartel is big. In fact, it's among the most powerful and violent to have emerged in Mexico in the
04:11wake of the power vacuum caused by the killing of the former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, Ignacio Coronel, back
04:18in July 2010.
04:19In the period following the CJNG's emergence, homicides, forced disappearances, and the discoveries of mass graves spiked in Jalisco, Insight
04:28Crime reports.
04:29The US has responded by trying to shut the CJNG down at every turn.
04:33Back in June 2025, the US Department of State announced that it was sanctioning several key CJNG members, including the
04:41group's leader, Ruben Oseguera Cervantes.
04:44A reward of up to $15 million was offered for Oseguera's arrest, with several other multi-million dollar figures offered
04:51for information on other key cartel members.
04:53Oseguera is dead now, killed on February 22nd by Mexican security forces.
04:58That hasn't stopped the CJNG from operating, though.
05:01In August, the US announced around $102 million in new bounties for information that could lead to arrests of other
05:08members of the CJNG.
05:10In short, this cartel is public enemy number one in the Trump administration's war on drugs.
05:15Taking out CJNG peddlers inside Ecuador is a massive victory for America and a powerful shot against one of Mexico's
05:22largest cartels.
05:24Before we move on, there's one more incident to cover.
05:27The arrest of over 30 drug peddlers in Ecuador comes alongside another major operation conducted on September 24th,
05:34when Ecuadorian soldiers working alongside US Southern Command killed a local drug lord who went by the alias Charlie.
05:42Dubbed a narco-terrorist, Charlie went down alongside a pair of his security guards under a hail of gunfire.
05:47The success of that mission also came with a firm warning from the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa.
05:53The operation was the result for all those who seek to threaten Ecuadorians and for those who believe they can
05:58finance crime from anywhere in the world.
06:00And the battle against Ecuador's drug gangs does not end at our borders.
06:05Hours later, over 30 people found out just how serious Noboa was.
06:09And their arrests do indeed have ramifications far beyond the borders of Ecuador.
06:14Still, the question has to be asked, why focus on Ecuador when it's clear that the Mexican cartels are the
06:19ones producing the drugs that the US wants to prevent from entering its territory?
06:23There is a very good answer to this that we'll reveal in a moment.
06:26First, this is a reminder that you're watching the military show.
06:29We make videos like this to expose what's really happening behind the scenes and why seemingly disconnected actions have wide
06:35-ranging consequences.
06:37If you're new here, don't forget to subscribe and enable notifications so you never miss one of our videos.
06:44Ecuador isn't a massive drug-producing country.
06:47Certainly not on the scale of the likes of Mexico or Colombia, where drug growers and cartels operate, often with
06:53near impunity.
06:54But what Ecuador is, or more accurately has become in recent times, is a major hub through which the South
07:00American drug trade moves.
07:02According to CBS News, the emergence of the cartels and their associates has transformed Ecuador.
07:08Once upon a time, Ecuador was one of the safest countries in South America.
07:11The island of peace had just 6.7 violent deaths per 100,000 people in 2019, the conversation reported in
07:192024.
07:20That figure ended up being tragic because of how much Ecuador has changed since.
07:25The nation isn't safe anymore.
07:27It has become a hotbed of cartel activity, turning it into another dangerous Latin American zone.
07:32By 2024, Ecuador was nearing 45 violent deaths per 100,000 people, which is a nearly seven-fold increase over
07:40what the rate was five years before.
07:42Ecuador had also plummeted to 96th out of over 140 countries in the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index
07:49by that point.
07:50It's gotten worse since, with Ecuador's 2026 rating being 99th.
07:55Cartels, particularly the CJNG, are responsible for all of this.
07:59But why would those cartels care about Ecuador if they aren't using the nation's land to grow cocaine or develop
08:05other drugs?
08:06The answer comes down to geography.
08:08As the BBC demonstrates in an April 2025 report on Ecuador, the country's location in the northwest of South America
08:14makes it the perfect shipping hub for drugs from all over the rest of the continent.
08:19Drugs enter Ecuador from Peru and Colombia, often grown for the cartels in Mexico.
08:24Then they ship out either directly from Ecuador and into the US or from Ecuador through the Panama Canal and
08:30on toward Europe.
08:32Ecuador is the epicenter of the global cocaine trade.
08:35Today, about 70% of all the cocaine produced in the entire world will pass through Ecuadorian ports before it
08:41moves on to its final destination, the Guardian reports.
08:45People like the 30 that the US and Ecuador have worked together to arrest are responsible for this immense cocaine
08:50trade.
08:51What we're seeing here isn't an isolated incident, either in the context of American activities in Ecuador or in the
08:57Trump administration's wider war on drugs.
09:00Starting with the latter, Trump has made cracking down on the drug trade that impacts the US a priority, even
09:06before he became president for his second term.
09:08When he was on the campaign trail in 2024, Trump made claims that China was attacking the US with fentanyl.
09:15And we have seen him leverage tariffs against Mexico and Canada related to fentanyl crossing into the US.
09:21The validity of these claims can be disputed.
09:24But what can't be argued against is that 2026 has seen the US elevate its campaign against drug trafficking and
09:30the cartels throughout South America.
09:32We've seen US Southern Command activate new headquarters to enable its operations in Latin America.
09:38Strikes have been conducted against boats that the US believes to be carrying drugs into its territory.
09:43And Trump has actively said that the US is now in an armed conflict with drug gangs throughout South America.
09:48The US has invested heavily in operations to curtail cartel activity, including the $820 million it spent during the course
09:56of Operation Southern Spear.
09:58This operation is believed to have resulted in strikes on 67 boats, killing at least 221 people, Military.com reports.
10:06So when we say this is an armed conflict, we mean it. And so does the US.
10:11Beyond its actions in places like Ecuador, the US military has been active on the border with Mexico,
10:16even introducing new weapons to deal with the cartels' use of drones to conduct reconnaissance and sneak drugs over the
10:22border.
10:23Toward the end of August, CNN reported that the US has deployed a special military laser, the Army Multipurpose High
10:29Energy Laser, to the border.
10:31And that weapon has reportedly already shot down several drones.
10:35America is also working to lower border crossings, perhaps with the intention of ensuring that illegal immigrants who might have
10:41connections to the cartels
10:42aren't able to establish themselves on American soil.
10:46US Customs and Border Protection has been revealing big wins for Trump throughout his campaign.
10:51On August 13th, it announced its 15th consecutive month of no releases at the border.
10:56In other words, illegal crossings are down to historic levels, the agency claims, meaning that daily apprehensions are going down
11:02as well.
11:03The agency also declares more drug seizures, including 26% more in July, than were happening under former President Joe
11:09Biden.
11:10The war against the cartels is being politicized, but more importantly, it's being militarized.
11:16And that brings us back to Ecuador.
11:18The killing of Charlie and the 30-plus arrests that have just been announced are far from the beginning of
11:22the US military cooperating with Ecuadorian authorities.
11:25This is a collaboration that has been a long time in the making, and it was already producing results before
11:31this historic bust.
11:32As the Wall Street Journal points out, the US has long been active in Ecuador, albeit not as directly as
11:39it's become in 2026.
11:41America often provided, and continues to provide, intelligence to Ecuador and other Latin American nations, helping them to combat drug
11:48lords and criminals on their own turf.
11:50The big difference we're seeing now is the involvement of US military personnel.
11:54Not so long ago, these personnel acted in peripheral roles.
11:58Even if they were in a country at the time of a raid, they weren't active participants.
12:02The soldiers served more as advisers, and they would only operate in a limited capacity.
12:07That's all changed.
12:08And this is what should worry the cartels and their associates.
12:11We got a hint of what's to come back in March 2026, when Ecuador and the US announced that they
12:16had begun joint military operations with a focus on tackling organized crime groups.
12:21Reported by AP News, the announcement came with a statement from US Southern Command, which said that the operations were
12:28a
12:28powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism.
12:35This was a step up from previous collaboration between the two nations.
12:39We soon started to see results.
12:41On April 1st, mere weeks after the announcement, American commandos took part in Operation Lancer Marina.
12:47The operation involved taking out a compound that was believed to serve as a staging ground for the high-speed
12:53boats that the Los Choneros gang in Ecuador was using to send drugs into the US.
12:58America didn't get directly involved in the operation.
13:01Instead, its commandos served in an advisory role, perhaps biding their time as they knew that something bigger was just
13:07around the corner.
13:08Then came September.
13:09Now, the US military has boots on the ground in Ecuador, and it's directly involved in raids against drug traffickers.
13:16As important as the direct intervention might be, as it sends a message that the US is doing more than
13:21cooperating from afar,
13:23what is vital for the US is that it's making a partner out of Ecuador.
13:27Through the partnership, America is able to expand its footprint in Latin America via a nation that is actively willing
13:32to work alongside it if that work means solving its own drug problems.
13:36Earlier in September, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed the partnership as he revealed that elite forces from both
13:44countries are now working together.
13:46Rubio praised Ecuador for what he called its aggressive partnership with the US.
13:50He also happened to receive Ecuador's National Order of Merit in the degree of Grand Cross, which is the country's
13:56second highest national honor for his work.
13:59These are all signs of a partnership that could last a long time, or at least until the end of
14:03the Trump administration.
14:05Some, such as the Hudson Institute, even argue that Ecuador should be awarded the distinction of being a major non
14:10-NATO ally for the US.
14:12The country has become a regional champion of American drug policy, the Institute says, and that cooperation should be rewarded.
14:20If that happens, it could also lay the groundwork for other Latin American countries to consider coming under the American
14:26umbrella, particularly those that have issues with drug gangs.
14:29A blueprint could be laid out, the clear path toward greater cooperation with one of the world's strongest nations, and
14:35through that the US could extend its footprint even deeper into Latin America.
14:39But that's all speculative right now, a potential future that could come as a result of America's historic actions in
14:46Ecuador.
14:46But right now, the cooperation between the US and Ecuador is all about placing pressure on the drug gangs.
14:52Meaning, what we've just seen is likely the starting point, rather than the culmination of the operation.
14:57On September 28th, Dialogo Americas discussed how the US has designated the Chone Killers and Los Tigorones as foreign terrorist
15:05organizations.
15:06Both groups are active in Ecuador and appear to have links to Colombia and Mexico.
15:11Rubio has even called them out as gangs that help Mexico's cartels to transport illegal drugs into the US.
15:17This designation matters.
15:19Not only does it bar anyone in the US from providing material support or resources to these organizations,
15:24but it also places immigration restrictions on identified members of these groups.
15:29Financial sanctions are also triggered by the designation, basically giving the US a legal framework
15:34through which it can cut off monetary arteries and capture facilitators for the groups.
15:39This pressure extends beyond Ecuador as it means anybody outside the country can also be caught in the crossfire of
15:45America's campaign.
15:46All they have to do is cooperate with a foreign terrorist organization and they become a potential target.
15:52All of this is important because it offers a way for the US to overcome the sheer amount of money
15:56that drug gangs, in Ecuador and elsewhere,
15:59can offer to the patsies to get them to do their bidding.
16:02Fishermen are at particular risk.
16:04In a September 29th report, Caliber revealed that fishermen in the Ecuadorian port city of Manta
16:09are being offered upwards of $40,000 to carry out a single drug run by Ecuador's drug gangs.
16:14Compare that to the $300 per month they get from fishing and you get a very tempting offer.
16:19A dangerous one, sure, but one successful run delivers several years of wages.
16:25It's these sorts of informal networks that the US is hoping to cripple, not only with its direct military interventions,
16:31but with sanctions and designations of foreign terrorism.
16:34This is the pressure, applied in multiple ways, and designed to prevent Ecuador's gangs from doing what they've been doing
16:40over the last half a decade.
16:41If you're an Ecuadorian fisherman, are you going to risk losing everything by working with a terrorist organization?
16:47The US hopes not, but the reality remains to be seen.
16:51Ultimately, everything we've talked about here centers on stopping the drug flow from Latin America into the US.
16:57In a September 24th report, US Homeland Security said that Operation Pacific Viper has seen the US Coast Guard seize
17:04almost 118,000 kilograms of cocaine since its inception.
17:09That includes a little over 11,300 kilograms seized in the week leading up to September 24th alone.
17:15This operation is clearly successful.
17:18But far preferable for the US would be to stop this cocaine at its source.
17:22And with 70% of what was seized coming from Ecuador, there is a clear source in play that can
17:27be crippled.
17:28The US and Ecuador's authorities are now working together to stop the flow.
17:32Look for more reports of US military involvement in Ecuador in the months to come.
17:36While you wait, why not learn a little bit more about the laser weapon on the border that we talked
17:40about.
17:41We did an entire video covering the ins and outs of that weapon and what it means for the US
17:45war on drugs, so check it out to learn more.
17:48But before you go, everything you see here is researched, verified and produced by real people.
17:53If you value that, subscribe, comment below and consider becoming a member for access to exclusive content.
17:59And thank you for watching.