Local news outlets have reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has opened its first office in Ecuador.
According to Breitbart, the U.S. embassy in Quito announced it had formalized the opening with a memorandum signed by the U.S. and Ecuador. Outlets reported that the memorandum establishes a legal framework for developing technical capabilities and parallel investigations into transnational and terrorist organizations. Breitbart reported that Ecuadorian Vice President María José Pinto, Interior Minister John Reimberg, Lawrence Petroni, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the U.S. embassy in Quito, and FBI Regional Chief Allen Pack signed the agreement.
Petroni had said, “With this memorandum and the creation of the FBI trust unit, we are improving our joint capacity to identify, dismantle, and bring to justice those who traffic drugs, launder money, smuggle weapons, and finance terrorism.”
As part of the agreement, Ecuador’s National Police launched a new special unit to work with the U.S. to identify and dismantle criminal organizations both inside and outside the country. This partnership comes on the heels of the U.S.-led security initiative called “Shield of the Americas.”
During the weekend, President Trump hosted the “Shield of the Americas” summit in Florida, where he was joined by leaders from dozens of countries, including Argentinian President Javier Milei, Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Chilean President-elect Jose Antonio Kast, and Honduran President Tito Asfura. ABC News reported that during the summit, President Trump told the leaders, “The heart of our agreement is a commitment to using lethal military force to destroy the sinister cartels and terrorist networks once and for all. We’ll get rid of them. We need your help.”
Breitbart reported that Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa agreed with President Trump, and following the summit, he shared a social media post that read:
“For too long, criminal organizations believed that America was their territory. That they could cross borders, move drugs, weapons, and violence without consequences. That time is over.”
The “Shield of the Americas” and the opening of the FBI’s permanent office in Ecuador signal the expansion of President Trump’s leadership into other American territories.