The 2026-2029 National Security Plan identifies illegal mining as a strategic security challenge rather than simply an environmental or regulatory issue. Entering supply chainsThe plan identifies Los Lobos as Ecuador’s dominant criminal organization in illegal mining and says the gang has expanded across the gold value chain. The plan also links illegal mining to fuel theft, saying stolen diesel powers mining equipment used at illicit sites. GI-TOC estimates the number of illegal mining sites expanded from fewer than 60 before 2018 to more than 600 by 2024. Ongoing crackdownEcuador has already intensified its campaign against illegal mining over the past year, particularly after 11 soldiers were killed in an ambush in the Amazon last year during an operation targeting illegal mining groups.