INTERNACIONAL
Duro golpe al narcotráfico: con el apoyo de EEUU, la Armada de Ecuador incautó más de diez toneladas de cocaína en altamar
La Armada y la Policía de Ecuador, en coordinación con la Guardia Costera de Estados Unidos, incautaron 10,3 toneladas de cocaína y detuvieron a 18 personas durante una serie de operaciones realizadas en altamar.
Los cargamentos, junto con los detenidos, llegaron este domingo al puerto de Manta a bordo del buque estadounidense USCGC Seneca, donde fueron entregados a la Policía Nacional para su procesamiento.
Las Fuerzas Armadas detallaron que las acciones conjuntas se desplegaron en siete operativos. El Ministerio del Interior precisó que, además de la droga, se destruyeron seis embarcaciones utilizadas por las redes criminales para transportar los bloques de cocaína. Los 18 detenidos son de nacionalidad ecuatoriana, y según fuentes policiales, al menos uno de ellos tenía antecedentes penales.
El coronel Wladimir Acurio, jefe policial de la provincia de Manabí, sostuvo que el valor de la droga en el mercado internacional superaría los 60 millones de dólares. “Estamos hablando de un golpe contundente a las organizaciones criminales”, afirmó, al tiempo que detalló que también se confiscaron dispositivos tecnológicos como GPS y teléfonos satelitales, herramientas esenciales para la navegación y la comunicación en mar abierto.
Este decomiso se suma a otras incautaciones recientes. A mediados de julio, también en operaciones coordinadas con Estados Unidos, llegaron a Manta 14 toneladas de cocaína incautadas frente a las costas ecuatorianas. Según datos oficiales, en el primer semestre del año ya se habían interceptado unas 105 toneladas de droga, en su mayoría cocaína. El Ministerio del Interior ha calculado que, en términos económicos, las incautaciones realizadas en lo que va de 2025 representan pérdidas de más de 2.000 millones de dólares para las mafias internacionales.
Ecuador se ha convertido en los últimos años en un punto clave para el tránsito de la cocaína producida en Colombia y Perú, los dos mayores productores mundiales. La ubicación estratégica del país, con una extensa costa sobre el Pacífico, puertos de gran capacidad como el de Guayaquil y un sistema económico dolarizado, lo han transformado en una plataforma atractiva para el tráfico dirigido principalmente a Europa y Norteamérica. De acuerdo con Insight Crime, solo en enero de 2024 Ecuador decomisó 22 toneladas, el mayor registro mensual de ese año en toda la región, y cerró el período con más de 250 toneladas interceptadas.
El país se ubica ya como el tercero del mundo en volumen de droga incautada, detrás de Colombia y Estados Unidos, con un promedio de 200 toneladas anuales desde 2021 y un récord histórico de casi 300 toneladas en 2024.
Los decomisos en puertos son particularmente significativos. En Guayaquil, que concentra cerca del 70 por ciento de la carga de exportación del país, se han hallado grandes alijos escondidos en contenedores de productos legales como banano, camarón o atún.
La cooperación con la Guardia Costera de Estados Unidos ha sido clave en estas operaciones. Un funcionario estadounidense señaló que los resultados demuestran el trabajo conjunto de ambos países para combatir el narcotráfico, según informó Ecuavisa.
El desafío, sin embargo, trasciende la dimensión marítima. Ecuador enfrenta también una escalada de violencia vinculada al crimen organizado, que busca disputar territorios, puertos y rutas logísticas. En los últimos años, las autoridades han denunciado la infiltración del narcotráfico en instituciones públicas y privadas, y han reforzado los controles en terminales portuarias y aeroportuarias con escáneres y tecnología de rayos X.
La magnitud del problema no deja margen para la complacencia. Aunque Ecuador no produce coca a gran escala —los cultivos son marginales y no representan un factor determinante—, se ha convertido en un punto de tránsito esencial para el tráfico global. Según Naciones Unidas, más del 60 por ciento de la cocaína que llega a Europa occidental pasa por Ecuador en algún punto de la cadena.
Por otra parte, entre enero y julio de 2025, Ecuador sufrió un alarmante aumento de homicidios: fueron registrados 5.268 asesinatos, lo que representa un incremento del 40,36 % respecto al mismo periodo de 2024 (3.753 víctimas), marcando el semestre más violento de la última década. La mayoría de las víctimas tenían entre 25 y 34 años y los asesinatos se cometieron con armas de fuego. Incluso con medidas como despliegues militares y reformas legales más estrictas, la violencia se ha disparado, atribuyéndose en buena parte a disputas territoriales entre bandas criminales por rutas de narcotráfico.
INTERNACIONAL
Winsome Sears blasts Virginia Dems’ surprise redistricting session as a ‘stunt’ to pull her off the trail
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Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears lambasted Virginia Democrats after they signaled a plan to suddenly call the legislature back in a last-minute special session to address potential redistricting before the election.
Virginia’s state redistricting commission is statutorily charged with crafting new congressional maps after every decennial census, but state Democrats appear poised to try to do an end-round around that process, potentially via the constitutional amendment process.
«In a desperate political stunt, Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly are calling for a special session to drag Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears off the campaign trail,» the Earle-Sears campaign said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
NEW POLL IN KEY SHOWDOWN FOR VIRGINIA GOVERNOR INDICATES SINGLE-DIGIT RACE
As lieutenant governor, Earle-Sears is the presiding officer over the otherwise Democratic-majority state Senate.
«The same politicians who marched in ‘No Kings’ protests are now trying to crown themselves as the rulers of Virginia politics, abusing their offices to rig the calendar because they can’t win on ideas,» the campaign said.
Earle-Sears spokesperson Peyton Vogel said the activity is «what panic looks like» for a party that is out of fresh ideas and is relying on such «stunts,» and suggested Democratic challenger Abigail Spanberger – a former congresswoman – was in some way involved in the plan.
«[S]he’s leading the charge on cheap political stunts to slow down Winsome Earle-Sears’ momentum. It’s pathetic. Voters see through it. They know Winsome Earle-Sears is a Marine, a mom, and a fighter for Virginia every day — while Abigail Spanberger is a career politician using Washington-style dirty tricks to protect her power and her friends,» Vogel said.
EARLE-SEARS COMES OUT SWINGING IN HEATED DEBATE AS SPANBERGER DODGES JAY JONES QUESTIONS
A Suffolk University poll released Thursday showed Earle-Sears trailing Spanberger by about eight percentage points, while her downballot-mates John Reid and Jason Miyares were either tied or just ahead of their Democratic opponents.
Democrats are hoping to expand their two-seat majority in the House of Delegates, targeting several districts in the suburbs and exurbs of Hampton Roads and Washington, D.C., where Republicans sit on a statistical knife’s edge. No state Senate seats are up until 2027. The upper chamber also has a two-seat Democratic majority.
House Speaker Don Scott Jr., D-Portsmouth, and Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon, did not respond to requests for comment. However, Surovell told the New York Times that plans to reconvene the legislature in Richmond next week are intended to counter President Donald Trump’s push to pressure Republican-led states on redistricting.
Those states, like Texas, see their efforts as blunting California Democrats’ likely-successful shoehorning of a mid-decade redistricting plan through Sacramento.
VIRGINIA VOTERS SUE TO BOOT DEMOCRAT OFF BALLOT IN DISTRICT THAT COULD DECIDE STATE HOUSE MAJORITY
«We are coming back to address actions by the Trump administration,» Surovell told the Times.
On the federal level, Democrats hold six of the 11 House seats in Virginia. Some of those held by Republicans are often considered «swing» seats that volley back and forth regularly – like that of Rep. Jennifer Kiggans in Cape Charles and Hampton Roads.
Loudoun County – once reliably Republican – has trended far to the left in the past decade, and there is no longer any Republican congressperson within about 50 miles of Washington.
Rep. Yevgeny «Eugene» Vindman, D-Va., twin brother of Alexander Vindman, holds a once-swing district in Prince William County and the D.C. exurbs that has been another long-term loss for the GOP.
WINSOME EARLE-SEARS REBUKES SPANBERGER PLAN TO UNDO VIRGINIA’S ICE PACT: ‘THIS IS NOT HARD’
The Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
By contrast, Rep. Morgan Griffith’s, R-Va., district in the far southwestern end of Virginia is solidly Republican. The way neighboring Rep. Ben Cline’s district is drawn – hugging Interstate 81 and the Blue Ridge Mountains – also remains so.
But Cline’s district could be one targeted by Democrats’ redraw – as slicing up the slender district and the top of Republican John McGuire’s confines and affixing the pieces to the increasingly blue center of the state could create several new seats designed in Democrats’ favor.
Toying with the shapes of other districts like Vindman’s along I-95 and Republican Rep. Rob Wittman in the Northern Neck could also bear fruit for Democrats.
Democrats were the ones to primarily spearhead the original constitutional amendment in 2020 that birthed the commission they now want to circumvent, as it had been introduced by then-Sen. George Barker of Fairfax. Some Republicans were listed as co-signers for the resolution as well.
SPANBERGER DEFENDS ABORTION AD CRITICIZING SEARS AFTER BERNIE WARNS AGAINST HIGHLIGHTING ISSUE
The amendment was later approved by about two-thirds of Virginia voters, according to reports.
If they go the constitutional amendment route, passage before November’s election would count as one session, so Democrats – betting on holding or increasing their numbers in the legislature – would have to pass it once more in the 2026 session before it made the ballot after passage.
Whether Earle-Sears or Spanberger wins, the governor is constitutionally precluded from intervening in the process.
Working through the regular legislative process would, by contrast, allow a governor to intervene; with the outgoing Youngkin primed to veto their initial attempt.
Pennsylvania Republicans led by 2022 gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano enlisted the same process to circumvent then-Gov. Tom Wolf and end his onerous coronavirus lockdown orders, so the process has seen recent success.
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The Virginia amendment would not likely create a new map, but instead authorize a new process to commence redistricting outside the current system with the decennial commission.
Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment on Earle-Sears’ claim.
virginia governor race,virginia,elections,elections state and local
Inundaciones y vientos huracanados
Transportes y rutas afectados
Un puerto cerrado en Le Havre, Francia, por la feroz tormenta Benjamin, este jueves. Foto: AFP «¿Bomba meteorológica?»
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Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening…
–Red state university student caught on video threatening lives of Charlie Kirk supporters: ‘Watch your neck’
-Curtis Sliwa vows to be Zohran Mamdani’s ‘worst nightmare’ if the Democratic socialist wins NYC mayoral race
-Undercover video exposes what Spanberger’s campaign organizer really thinks of her: ‘What the f—‘
NYC Mayor Adams to endorse Cuomo in race against Mamdani
New York City Mayor Eric Adams will endorse former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the city’s mayoral race as he faces off against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
«As spokesman for Mayor Eric Adams, I can confirm that the Mayor will endorse former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo for mayor and intends to campaign alongside him,» Adams’ spokesman, Todd Shapiro, said in a statement to Fox News. «The time and locations for their joint appearances are currently being finalized.»
Adams declined to answer questions about Cuomo at an unrelated press conference Thursday morning…READ MORE.
New York Mayor Eric Adams poses with Independent candidate former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo after Cuomo participated in the second debate for the upcoming mayoral election on Wednesday evening. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
White House
HOMEGROWN POWER: Apple building American-made AI servers ahead of schedule in new Houston facility, answering Trump call
NEW DETAILS: SCOOP: Trump’s Memphis crime crackdown locates dozens of missing kids, removes 109 gangbangers from streets
National Guard members began patrolling Memphis, Tennessee, in October as part of a federal task force established by President Donald Trump to combat what the administration says is violent crime in the city. (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
NO PEACE TALKS: Trump ‘not interested’ in de-escalation with ‘unhinged’ leader of Colombia, White House says
ON PAUSE: Trump freezes out Putin for lack of ‘enough action’ toward peace — future talks uncertain
BLUNT DIPLOMACY: Inside Trump’s ultimatum that forced Netanyahu to the table: ‘You can’t fight the world’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin, left, talks to President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House April 7, 2025, in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
World Stage
SKY VIOLATIONS: Russia violates NATO airspace in Lithuania amid Putin warning on long-range missiles
‘AMAZING BLESSING’: Vance visits church where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, resurrected amid Israel-Hamas ceasefire
Vice President JD Vance tours The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem Oct. 23, 2025. (Nathan Howard/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
NO MORE GAMES: After waffling between Russia and Ukraine, Trump slaps Kremlin with oil sanctions
Capitol Hill
SNAP OUT OF IT: Democrats under fire as food stamp funds run dry: 42 million Americans caught in shutdown fight
NO PAY FOR YOU: Essential workers left unpaid after Senate Democrats kill pay bill
Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger is criticizing House Minority Whip Katherine Clark’s comments in a recent interview on the government shutdown. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
HOSTAGE POLITICS: Top Republican slams Katherine Clark for admitting suffering families are «leverage» in shutdown battle
SOCIAL-IST STANDING: Bernie Sanders defends Maine Senate candidate under fire for wild Reddit comments
Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont and ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, arrives for a confirmation hearing in Washington, July 16, 2025. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Across America
HALF IN, HALF OUT: Trump yet to endorse in VA governor’s race — but also kept Youngkin at arm’s length
Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, left; President Trump, right. (Al Drago/Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
MIXED BAG: New poll in key showdown for Virginia governor indicates single-digit race
FOOD FIGHT: Youngkin declares state of emergency over «Democrat Shutdown» depleting food stamp benefits for nearly 1M Virginians
AI ATTACK: Andrew Cuomo campaign walks back controversial attack ad targeting Mamdani voters
Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, right, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, left, and Independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. (Hiroko Masiuke/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
CAMPAIGN CLASH: Social media erupts after Cuomo, Mamdani rip each other during final debate: ‘Unmasked’
‘CALL TO ACTION’: NYC rabbis sound off on «unprecedented risk» Mamdani poses as hundreds of leaders sign «call to action»
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch accused New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani of «fanning the flames of intolerance» with two weeks until Election Day. (Shahar Azran)
SECOND GUESSING: NYC socialist mayoral candidate Mamdani’s 911 plan called «worst idea» by former NYPD sergeant
Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
elections newsletter
Virginia Gallardo hizo un posteo sobre Ricardo Fort y el abogado de sus hijos la acusó de “usar su imagen políticamente”
A horas de la veda, Cristina Kirchner llamó a votar contra el Gobierno: “El proyecto libertario fracasó y lo saben”
Shell vende sus estaciones en Argentina: aumentan los nombres en competencia y así están las ofertas
El día que Cesc Fàbregas le marcó al Barça con la pierna rota: ‘La adrenalina fluía por mí con tanta fuerza que no sentí dolor’
Chocaron dos trenes de la Línea Urquiza a la altura de San Miguel y hubo varios heridos
Winsome Sears blasts Virginia Dems’ surprise redistricting session as a ‘stunt’ to pull her off the trail
Donald Trump habló sobre la ayuda económica de Estados Unidos: “La Argentina está peleando por su vida”
Pampita recibió un video inesperado de su hija Blanca en el Día de la Madre y no pudo contener la emoción
Universidad de Chile vs. Lanús, por la Copa Sudamericana: día, horario y cómo verlo por TV
Adabel Guerrero confesó de qué famosa está enamorada y que le encantaría tener relaciones: «La China Suárez me sorprendió con su belleza»
DEPORTE2 días agoUniversidad de Chile vs. Lanús, por la Copa Sudamericana: día, horario y cómo verlo por TV
- CHIMENTOS2 días ago
Adabel Guerrero confesó de qué famosa está enamorada y que le encantaría tener relaciones: «La China Suárez me sorprendió con su belleza»
- ECONOMIA3 días ago
Scott Bessent oficializó el swap con la Argentina y afirmó: “No queremos otro Estado fallido en América Latina”
