Cartels in Ecuador | DW Documentary

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Long one of the safest countries in South America, Ecuador is at risk of becoming a narco-state. 1,300 people were murdered in the first 50 days of 2025. This film follows victims’ families, documenting their strength as they fight for democracy.

"Ecuador is transforming into a country in which stealing and killing is good business," says Amanda Villavicencio, daughter of well-known investigative journalist and former presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio Valencia. He fought against corruption and cartels — and was assassinated in broad daylight in 2023. Amanda and her sister Tamia mourn their father's loss by continuing his fight. In December 2024, a surveillance camera caught how four children, ranging in age from 11 to 15, were abducted by men in military uniforms. A few days later, their bodies were found near a military facility. Paul Moposita, a rapper and political performance artist, composed a song which not only elegized the murdered youths but also called on people to resist the violence. Together with the victims' families, he held a demonstration at the place where the last images of these children were filmed. As Tamia Villavicencio says, "Right now, our greatest fear is that everything stays the way it is."

The documentary Cartels in Ecuador delves into the tense and violent situation in the country ahead of the second round of Ecuador's presidential election on April 13, 2025.

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