Israel helping Ecuador fight cocaine traffickers

PARIS, France (AFP) — Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Thursday he had sought assistance from Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to combat the drug cartels that are terrorizing the South American country.

In an exclusive interview with AFP in Paris, the iron-fisted 37-year-old who won reelection last month said Israel and the UAE had agreed to provide intelligence “to help” fight cocaine traffickers.

Once-peaceful Ecuador averaged a killing every hour at the start of the year, as cartels battled for control over cocaine routes that pass through the nation’s ports.

During presidential campaigning, Noboa suggested US special forces should be deployed to Ecuador to tackle the violence, and floated legal reforms to allow US bases to reopen.

Over the past week, he traveled to Italy, Spain, Britain and France — some of the European countries experiencing rocketing cocaine consumption — to develop further security alliances, as well as Israel and the UAE.

He said he spoke to Israeli and Emirati leaders about “cooperation on security at ports and borders... since the violence is there, in the areas or on the routes to the ports.”

But Noboa admitted “there is not much interest so far” from foreign powers in establishing military bases in the Andean country.

In March, he announced a security alliance with Erik Prince, founder of the controversial American security company Blackwater, whose employees killed and wounded dozens of civilians in Iraq.

Asked about the pact, Noboa said Prince was merely acting in a “consultancy” capacity.