Ecuador formalized the opening of the first permanent FBI office in Quito, a step that strengthens cooperation with the United States. File Photo courtesy U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
Ecuador formalized the opening of the first permanent FBI office in Quito, a step that strengthens cooperation with the United States in the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking amid the worst wave of violence recorded in the country.
The agreement was signed Wednesday by Ecuadorian and U.S. authorities and establishes a framework for cooperation to share information, coordinate operations and promote joint investigations against transnational criminal organizations.
The new office will allow both countries to improve their capacity to “identify, dismantle and bring to justice those who traffic drugs, launder money, smuggle weapons and finance terrorism,” the U.S. Embassy in Quito said.
Hoy celebramos otro hito estratégico y operativo en la seguridad. En Quito, el Chargé d’Affaires a.i. de la Embajada y Consulado de los Estados Unidos, Lawrence Petroni, inauguró la apertura de la primera Oficina Federal de Investigación del FBI (Buró Federal de Investigaciones)… pic.twitter.com/WoUHcYP9oD— US Embassy Ecuador (@USembassyEC) March 11, 2026
During the official event, Ecuador’s interior minister, John Reimberg, said the initiative will make it possible to more effectively confront criminal networks operating in the region.
“This is an alliance that will allow us to more effectively confront transnational organized crime networks,” Reimberg said.
As part of the agreement, Ecuador also created a new unit within the National Police intended to work jointly with FBI agents.
Reimberg said operational work will begin immediately, since teams from both countries have maintained training and preparation processes in recent months.
“What changes now is that we have FBI agents permanently in Ecuador working with a unit of the National Police that has been structured so they can work together,” the minister added.
El ministro del Interior, John Reimberg, destacó que la cooperación con el FBI empieza desde este momento y que desde ahora los agentes del FBI se encontrarán de forma permanente en el país. pic.twitter.com/ESYcrBPmQe— La Hora Ecuador (@lahoraecuador) March 11, 2026
The chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Ecuador, Lawrence Petroni, described the opening of the office as a “strategic and operational milestone” in bilateral cooperation.
According to Petroni, the FBI had previously collaborated with Ecuadorian authorities on sensitive investigations, including the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio and the 2025 car bomb attack outside offices linked to the family of President Daniel Noboa in Guayaquil.
The US has become one of Ecuador’s main security partners since President Noboa declared a “war” in 2024 against criminal gangs, which the government classifies as terrorist organizations.
The expansion of this cooperation is also taking place between Washington and other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to confront threats such as drug trafficking and organized crime.
The Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies approved a military cooperation agreement with the United States known as the Status of Forces Agreement, which allows the temporary presence of U.S. military and civilian personnel in the country.
According to the agreement, approved Tuesday, U.S. personnel will receive immunities similar to those granted to diplomatic agents while they remain in Paraguayan territory.
In the Caribbean, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago recently visited the United States Southern Command, where she met with the organization’s commander, Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan, to discuss cooperation initiatives against criminal organizations and drug trafficking.
