Cocaine's Deadly Conduit to Europe: Ecuador's Descent into Chaos Ecuador has plummeted from a peaceful tourist haven to a killing ground in under a decade, leaving the world wondering how this happened.
The BBC's report from Durán, a city at the epicenter of the crisis, paints a stark picture of corruption, violence, and desperation that permeates every level of society.
Over 9,200 people were killed last year, with the murder rate one of the highest in the world. But these statistics only scratch the surface of the devastation wrought by the cocaine trade.