Ecuadorian Defense Minister Luis Lara spoke with his Colombian counterpart Iván Velázquez to instruct military commanders to prepare the strategy so as to dismantle criminal structures and their sources of financing by the end of this month.

Lara and Velázquez also ordered the coordination of the two countries’ Air Forces to exchange information and the execution of coordinated operations to detect unidentified trafficking within the framework of the surveillance and control of their air spaces.

On December 28, authorities from both countries met in Ipiales, Colombian territory, and signed an agreement with commitments for tactical and operational implementation of a plan to curb drug trafficking on the border.

Forty-two commitments reached consensus at institutional level, with the aim of strengthening binational cooperation within the legal and institutional framework in force in each country.

The Ecuadorian Government is fighting against organized crime due to the rise in violence and insecurity in this Andean nation.

jrr/iff/oda/avr