Ecuador is escalating asset-recovery efforts against suspected organized crime networks, tracing how illicit funds moved through the country’s financial system. Investigators say a network suspected of laundering money moved about $1.7 billion over eight years, using firms in sectors including transportation, food services, and private security. The scheme came to light after a report on unusual transactions involving individuals and companies that allegedly introduced illicit funds into the financial system. Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation in 2025. Police then carried out Operation Emporio Presidiario in mid-March 2026 across Guayas, Los Ríos, and Pichincha provinces. Authorities conducted 13 raids and arrested 11 people. Investigators said a foreign national led the network through family-owned companies tied to the laundering activity. The probe also identified transfers involving Corganpecsa, a company linked to Inda Peñarrieta, the partner of Adolfo Macías, alias Fito, who the U.S. Department of the Treasury identifies as the leader of Los Choneros, an Ecuadorian terrorist organization involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. Ecuador is also pursuing other cases using financial intelligence. In April 2026, a judge ordered 19 individuals and five companies to stand trial in the Comandos de la Frontera case, accused of laundering nearly $398 million through heavy-transport companies, cattle businesses, and other activities. That investigation also began with an unusual transaction report from Ecuador’s Financial and Economic Analysis Unit (UAFE). UAFE data highlighted cash patterns and relationships with municipal contractors, including deposits tied to the mayor of Machala in El Oro province, where 87 percent of deposits were made in cash and often withdrawn immediately. In May 2026, a judge ordered an individual and PezyMar Export S.A.S. to stand trial for alleged money laundering and upheld the freezing of $66 million in bank accounts. The court also maintained restrictions on assets and suspended and intervened in the company. The Attorney General’s Office presented UAFE reports, tax records, real estate purchase agreements, vehicle records, and financial, accounting, and corporate analyses, including allegations that about $13 million entered the financial system between 2021 and 2024 through the seafood export company. Courts have ordered trials and asset freezes in multiple cases as the financial investigations continue.