Micro-trafficking in Quito, Ecuador a major challenge for the country

The anti-narcotics police in Quito, Ecuador admit there are at least 76 sectors within the capital where micro-scale drug trafficking is rampant. From January to May 2012, 250 anti-drug operations took place in the capital, during which 349 suspects were taken into custody, including 22 foreigners. During the same period in 2011, 40 people were arrested for trafficking in the city, El Commercio reports. 1.6 tons of narcotics were seized in the 2012 operations, all of which is believed to have been bought for consumption in Quito. Many traffickers in the city work with established clients and engage in overt drug deals even in daylight or on the streets, experts say. Along with an increase in drug trafficking, citizens in Quito have increasingly found themselves the victims of robberies associated with the drug trade. Read Article