Members of the Ecuadorean Navy during a raid on a suspected drug gang in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on Oct. 18, 2025. As Washington made combating fentanyl a priority, cocaine trafficking has surged. Nowhere have the ripples been felt like in Ecuador, where criminal groups have run rampant. (Daniele Volpe/The New York Times) By ERIC SCHMITT and LUIS FERRÉ-SADURNÍ The United States and Ecuador have launched joint military operations against “designated terrorist organizations” in the South American...