''It’s a no-win situation,'' said AS/COA's Eric Farnsworth to the Associated Press regarding the political instability of the country in the Caribbean sea.

"[President] Noboa is now faced with the urgent need for decisive action," says Estefanny Pérez Duque from AS/COA in Global Americans.

As cocaine flows to remoter markets, transnational illicit traffic poses a global risk.

… but the Noboa government will need more money, from allies at home and in Washington, to fight organized crime.

Neither legalization, nor a Bukele-style crackdown, look like politically viable alternatives to the war on drugs in most countries.

Several Latin American governments seem to be backing off anti-drug efforts, though some avoid explicitly saying so.