Guillermo Lasso, the Ecuadorean President announced a state of emergency in the Andean country, late on Monday as part of a crackdown on drug addiction and trafficking.
Lasso, a conservative who took office in May, said that the decision was made in response to the rising rates of homicide across the country and other crimes that are related to narcotic seizures which touched an all time high of 147 tonnes this year.
According to Lasso, the 60-day state of emergency will let the military to join the drug and weapons retrieval operations in nine out of the 24 provinces of Ecuador, including Guayas, which is home to the main city of Guayaquil.
Patrols will be conducted 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Police will strengthen patrols and controls in public places in the rest of the country.
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