Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay
Arek Socha from Pixabay

Ecuador's most populous city, Guayaquil, is in crisis at present as the port town has become the nation's murder capital, with drugs on the street causing major concern.

Authorities earlier in the year, after one particularly destructive night, declared the situation a "declaration of war on the state" by organised crime, with a number of people killed and many more injured.

This is largely down to a rise in drug-related violence, which is impacting the country in a number of different ways. For those consuming the drugs, the country is seeing higher levels of addiction, with the number of people entering private rehab significantly higher than previous years, while the number of homicides due to violent crime rising 180% from 2020 to 2021 with a total of 3,538 deaths.

That's the highest number ever recorded and a staggering 80% of those murders are being attributed to gangs trying to control the importing and exporting of drugs, primarily cocaine.

The violence is getting significantly more advanced and headline-grabbing, with news stories each day around decapitations, car bombs, hangings and even drones dropping explosives in areas, including prisons.

Prison murders has risen dramatically, intrinsically linked to the controlling of drugs in Ecuador, while it's in the city's poorer areas where innocent people are suffering most.

It's become a harrowing life for many locals, and many young people are being drawn into it due to a lack of education, healthcare and work in such areas, with the money available through drugs feeling like the only option to provide for their family.

Poverty and addiction feed one another, and the lack of jobs see many turn to drugs in order to cope, which means many of the poorest areas in Ecuador now are awash with drug problems, with no real way out.

According to a recent report on the subject, which interviewed a man called David, living in Guasmo, said, rather harrowingly, "there is simply no other way to survive."

Today, more and more families are depending on the drug business to make ends meet in Ecuador and while men are typically on the street dealing, many women and children are also involved, packing cocaine in what feels like a produce line, with many claiming the police are either too scared to control the streets or are being bought off.

The situation is only escalating and it's only expected to get worse before there's any form of light at the end of the tunnel.