Drug trafficking on the rise through Ecuador

[Zorro]

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To hear a 20-year veteran of the force tell it, the streets of Ecuador are a lot meaner for undercover cops these days.

The anti-drug officer says narcotics are flooding in, a fellow detective was killed during a recent sting operation, and months of painstaking investigative work are routinely squandered by corrupt or threatened judges who let suspects go.

"Many of my colleagues are extremely discouraged and worried. But we're fighting on. We're doing it for our children," said the longtime officer, who asked that his name not be published for security reasons.

Violence in Ecuador is rising across the country, with crimes of all kinds up 15% to 50% last year compared with 2009 depending on the province, according to government figures. Although murders have declined in neighboring Colombia, they are on the rise here, doubling over the past 20 years to nearly 19 per 100,000 residents in 2009, the last year for which figures are available.

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More at:http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-ecuador-drugs-20110626,0,193281.story?track=rss

Good thing that Correa closed Manta Base, isn't it?