It refers to the January 3, 2026 U.S. operation in Venezuela in which U.S. forces carried out large-scale air and special‑forces strikes, seized control of key sites in Caracas, and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The Trump administration publicly framed the cross‑border raid as a joint military–law‑enforcement action tied to U.S. drug‑trafficking indictments and the broader “counter‑narco‑terrorism” campaign known as Operation Southern Spear/Operation Absolute Resolve.
In this context, “narcoterrorism” is a political and legal label the U.S. uses for drug‑trafficking organizations or regimes that it says both run large‑scale illegal drug operations and use or support violence and terror‑like tactics. By calling the threat “narcoterrorism,” U.S. officials argue that Maduro’s government and allied cartels are not just criminals but “narco‑terrorist” actors whose drug‑related violence and alleged links to armed groups justify treating the operation in Venezuela as part of a counter‑terrorism–style law‑enforcement and security campaign, not just ordinary policing.
While the readout is vague, past and current U.S.–Ecuador cooperation suggests this “close coordination” typically includes:
These are the kinds of tools Washington has already been using with Ecuador and other Andean and Caribbean states to “strengthen regional security.”
Tommy Pigott (Thomas “Tommy” Pigott) is the U.S. State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson, a senior communications official who briefs the press and issues official statements. Saying the readout is “attributable to” him means the summary of the call is an official U.S. government account that reporters may quote as coming from him by name; he is the authorized voice, but the content reflects the Department’s and administration’s position, not his personal opinion.
Daniel Noboa is the president of Ecuador (in office since November 2023). He governs a country that has become a major transit point for cocaine and is facing powerful gangs and cartel‑linked violence. Noboa has declared an “internal armed conflict” against these groups, requested international assistance, and supported closer security ties with the United States. Because Ecuador borders Colombia and is part of regional drug routes that affect Venezuela and the wider Caribbean, Noboa’s decisions on cooperation, military deployments, and anti‑gang measures make him an important regional partner for U.S. and Latin American efforts to curb organized crime and instability.
In practice, “close coordination” on regional security between the U.S. and Ecuador would mainly involve:
These are the agencies that historically implement U.S. “regional security” and counternarcotics cooperation with Ecuador and neighboring states.