Ecuadorian military found an illicit pool containing approximately 6,000 gallons of gasoline (over 22,000 liters) in dense vegetation in the Amazonian province of Sucumbíos, bordering Colombia. “The fuel mafias are left without support,” stated the Ministry of Defense of Ecuador on Wednesday in a communiqué, asserting that the military dismantled the clandestine structure dedicated to the illegal storage of fuel. It detailed that during the intervention in the municipality of Shushufindi, they identified a pool with the stored fuel, an empty pool, a clandestine coupling, 3,000 meters of hose, 10 meters of high-pressure hose, and a high-pressure valve. The issue of security in the border area with Colombia sparked a commercial war between Quito and Bogotá at the beginning of this year, with an initial imposition of 30% tariffs on trade, which was later raised to 50% and will reach 100% starting May 1, as a measure of pressure for Ecuador to reinforce security in the border zone. To the measure, responded to in similar terms by Colombia, other actions in the energy sector were added, maintaining the tension in the binational relationship. Ecuador has been under a state of “internal armed conflict” since 2024, which President Daniel Noboa declared to intensify the fight against criminal gangs, which he began to call “terrorists.” Despite this declaration, 2025 closed with a record number of homicides in Ecuador, with around 9,300, according to figures from the Ministry of the Interior.