Ann Livingston

Dark Alliance: key US ally Daniel Noboa linked to S. American drug trade The Grayzone's Oscar Leon interviews Andres Durán, an Ecuadoran investigative journalist who has had to flee his country due to his allegations that billionaire, US-allied President Daniel Noboa, the Noboa family and their inner circle are intimately involved in the international drug trade. In this explosive interview, Durán reveals the following: -Ecuador, not Venezuela, is the primary departure point for cocaine shipments to the US and Europe, with Noboa's family businesses repeatedly linked to drug seizures -Multiple cocaine trafficking scandals involve Noboa-owned companies (e.g., Noboa Trading, Blasti S.A., Transmabo) and a family farm (San Luis), including shipments intercepted in Europe and 193 kg seized in 2025 -Durán accuses Noboa of heading a "criminal economy" enabled by political decisions: defunding port security, deregulating banana exports, lacking financial oversight, and using shell companies for money laundering -Investigations are allegedly obstructed without thorough probes, no arrests of high-level figures, while cases are dismissed as "contamination" despite Noboa companies controlling the full supply chain -Ecuador's criminal economy is estimated at a staggering 18-22% of GDP thanks to weak state oversight, dollarization, and documented ties to the Albanian mafia

A top ex-DEA official and veteran CIA asset were busted in $12 million scheme to launder cash and procure drones for Mexico’s Jalisco cartel @MaxBlumenthal visits a Northern Virginia home raided by federal agents and wonders who America’s drug warriors are really working for