Case Explained: FBI Opens Permanent Office in Ecuador — FBI – Legal Perspective

At a March 11 press conference, officials said the move reflects an expansion of longstanding cooperation between U.S. and Ecuadorian authorities.

“The establishment of a permanent FBI presence in Ecuador fits in extremely well with current U.S. policy in Latin America,” said Allen Pack, who leads the FBI’s law enforcement attaché office in Bogota, Colombia. “Ecuador was a key partner in the recent Shield of the Americas Summit, and the Ecuadorian President, [Daniel] Noboa, is widely viewed as being one of the United States’ closest allies in Latin America.”

The FBI’s law enforcement attachés—known as legats—and their suboffices, like the new one in Quito, are located in key cities around the world and are staffed by about 250 special agents and personnel. The Quito office will have a permanently assigned agent to enable closer intelligence sharing and investigative coordination with Ecuadorian counterparts.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) already have personnel assigned to Ecuador. Pack said the addition of an FBI presence will allow the country to better access the full range of support available from U.S. agencies. For the FBI, access to a vetted teams within the Ecuadorian National Police (ENP) will help support the Bureau’s transnational investigations.