How Ecuador's mining cartels turned murder into a business model, and why mayors keep dying for trying to save their towns

Ecuador's mining cartels have turned murder into a business model, systematically executing mayors who try to oppose illegal mining operations. These cartels, led by Los Lobos and affiliated with Mexican cartels, extort miners for up to $1,000 monthly and control every aspect of the illegal mining supply chain. The brutality has turned mining towns into war zones, with mayors facing death for standing up against the criminal enterprises.

Despite government efforts to combat organized crime, gang leaders continue to coordinate operations from prison cells using smuggled phones. The billion-dollar illegal gold mining industry in Ecuador has become as lucrative as the cocaine trade, with corruption and money laundering rampant in the sector. The human cost of opposing these criminal organizations is high, with mayors like Jorge Maldonado facing death for standing up to the illegal mining cartels.