Ecuador is today confronting one of the most difficult internal battles in its modern history: the fight against powerful narco-terrorist organizations that, for more than a decade, infiltrated ports, prisons and parts of the national economy. Under President Daniel Noboa, the country has undertaken the most forceful and comprehensive effort yet to dismantle these criminal structures. That essential context has been missing in some recent reporting, including suggestions that organized crime networks once infiltrated commercial containers related to a banana exporter owned by the president’s family.

The insinuation that such past events cast a shadow over the current administration fundamentally misrepresents the situation. Instead, they illustrate a global reality in modern logistics — and underscore the urgency of the reforms Ecuador is now implementing.

Criminal infiltration of legitimate supply chains is neither new nor unique to Ecuador. Drug trafficking cartels — from the Balkans to Mexico to Europe — routinely conceal cocaine in fruit shipments, bulk cargo, and commercial containers without the knowledge of exporters. Large, reputable companies are often targeted precisely because their commercial volume provides cover. Global brands such as Dole and Chiquita, along with numerous European importers, have faced identical contamination attempts. To imply wrongdoing simply because traffickers exploited a company’s containers is to misunderstand how contemporary narco-logistics operate.

Ecuador, the world’s leading producer and exporter of bananas, ships approximately 400 million boxes every year — the equivalent of about 6,500 containers every week. In that context, it is important to underscore that the shipments referenced in recent investigative reporting occurred in 2020 and 2021, years before Daniel Noboa became President of Ecuador. At that time, he held no public office, exercised no governmental authority, and had no involvement in the operational logistics of any family business. No prosecutor, police agency or investigative body has ever accused President Noboa — or any member of his family — of participating in, authorizing, or being aware of criminal activity. Yet some commentary risks conflating the methods of transnational traffickers with the integrity of a democratically elected head of state.

In fact, President Noboa’s record since taking office demonstrates the opposite of what critics imply. His administration has declared an internal armed conflict against narco-terrorist groups, deployed the military to re-establish control inside prisons, strengthened port inspections, modernized scanning systems, and registered record drug seizures en route to Europe. These measures have directly threatened the interests of the same criminal networks responsible for contaminating shipments in the past. Ecuador is now implementing the most aggressive and co-ordinated anti-narcotics effort since the height of Plan Colombia .

To overshadow this reality with innuendo does a disservice not only to Ecuador, but also to international partners such as Canada, whose companies, consumers and institutions benefit from a transparent, secure,and modernized Ecuadorian logistics chain. The real story is not that traffickers attempted to hide cocaine in commercial containers — this is a documented global phenomenon. The real story is that Ecuador finally has a government confronting these networks with seriousness, institutional strength, and political will.

President Noboa deserves to be assessed by the reforms he is implementing today, not by the criminal acts of transnational organizations years before he took office. These allegations highlight the magnitude of the challenge — not the integrity of the leader facing it.

If Ecuador is to overcome the grip of narco-terrorism, it needs accuracy, partnership and international support. What it does not need are narratives that confuse the victims of infiltration with the perpetrators themselves.