QUITO — Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa delivered a State of the Union address to the National Assembly in Quito, using the speech to highlight his government's U.S.-backed crime-fighting strategies and improvements in some economic indicators. Noboa cited the extradition of a dozen crime bosses to the United States and the seizure of almost 300 tons of drugs as examples of his approach.

Noboa described his approach as decisive and effective in combating organized crime, and asserted that the country cannot develop if families live in fear. "We will seek them out, find them and extradite them," he said in the address.

Noboa has used a state of exception to allow the military to implement joint patrols with police and conduct property searches without warrants. Earlier this year, Ecuador's military carried out a joint operation with U.S. forces against a training camp allegedly used by Colombian drug traffickers, attacking the site with drones, helicopters and boats.

Since 2021, Ecuador has struggled to contain drug violence as rival cartels have partnered with local gangs and battled for control of smuggling routes and coastal ports. The country is wedged between Colombia and Peru, the world's top cocaine producing countries. In 2025, Ecuador recorded its highest homicide rate in decades, at 50 murders per every 100,000 residents, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

"Progress on violence is far from being achieved," said Glaedys González, an analyst for the Andean region at the International Crisis Group. "It is evident that the situation in Ecuador has reached unprecedented levels," she added.

On the economic indicators cited in the address, poverty in Ecuador dropped from 26% to 21.4% in 2025, while extreme poverty went down from 10.4% to 8.4% over the same period. Noboa was first elected in 2023 during a snap election triggered when then-President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly and shortened his own term. Noboa was reelected last year to a four-year term.