Ivonne A-Baki, Ecuador’s ambassador to the United States: “Once he assumed power, President Guillermo Lasso’s first priority was to reach a consensus in the Public and State Security Council, a body in which all the powers of the state are represented, on a strong policy to combat organized crime and drug trafficking. This was based on the recognition that this scourge affects governability, democracy and the country’s economic and social stability, for which it was necessary to directly confront this problem and recover the rule of law. The good results achieved in this fight, which has made it possible to seize around 370 tons of cocaine in the last year and a half, have also resulted in increased activity by criminal groups, which seek to weaken the government’s actions. According to the Ministry of the Interior, 83 percent of homicides in Ecuador are related to drug trafficking and organized crime groups. In this context, the national government has approved a Comprehensive Strategy for Security and Peace, which seeks to…”