In the Ecuadoran city of Durán, Police Captain Jean Carlos Bustamante leads a hand-picked team in a fierce fight against drug gangs and corruption within the police and political ranks. Durán, controlled by the gang Los Aguilas (Spanish for The Eagles), is a focal point of drug trafficking, with around 70% of the cocaine reaching Europe and the US funnelled out of Ecuador, according to President Daniel Noboa.

Last year, Ecuador recorded one of the highest murder rates globally, with more than 9,200 people killed, as reported by the country's interior ministry. Captain Bustamante, 34, who moves with the precision of a former special forces officer, acknowledges the challenge posed not only by heavily armed gangs but also by "many, many bad people inside our unit, inside the state, inside politics," some of whom are corrupt and in the pay of gangs.

Despite these challenges, there are signs of progress: streets in Durán are no longer deserted after 7 p.m., and bodies are no longer found beheaded or dismembered. Bustamante attributes improvements to increased safety and a reduction in gang weaponry, stating, "The first reason is because we are safe," and "The second is that there are two guns less for the gangs."

The BBC accompanied police patrols in Durán to document the ongoing struggle against drug crime and corruption in Ecuador.

Sources