By Micah Jonah
January 22, 2026
Ecuadorian President, Daniel Noboa has announced that his government will begin charging a 30 percent security tariff on goods imported from neighboring Colombia, citing concerns over drug trafficking, illegal mining along the shared border.
The new tariff is scheduled to take effect from February 1, will remain in place until Colombia demonstrates what Ecuador describes as a genuine commitment to jointly addressing cross border criminal activities.
President Noboa said Ecuador has continued to face violent criminal networks linked to drug trafficking while receiving little cooperation from across the border. He added that Ecuador has maintained trade relations despite recording an annual trade deficit of more than one billion dollars with Colombia.
According to the Ecuadorian government, military forces remain actively engaged against armed groups operating near border communities, which authorities say are fueled by narcotics trafficking and illegal mining operations.
The decision mirrors recent trade pressure tactics used by United States President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly relied on tariffs to push other countries to take stronger action on drug smuggling and migration control.
Since his reelection, President Noboa has strengthened political and security ties with Washington, hosting senior United States officials and publicly supporting deeper cooperation in security matters. His administration argues that foreign partnerships are essential to tackling rising violent crime within Ecuador.
Relations between Ecuador and Colombia have also been strained by political disagreements between President Noboa and Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Petro has promoted negotiations with armed groups under a policy known as Total Peace and has shifted away from forced coca crop eradication in favor of voluntary substitution programs and attacks on drug laboratories.
Despite Colombian authorities reporting major drug seizures and laboratory raids, critics within the region argue that cocaine production remains at historically high levels, keeping cross border trafficking routes active.
Tensions increased earlier this week after President Petro publicly defended Ecuador’s former vice president Jorge Glas, who is currently imprisoned on corruption charges. The case has been a sensitive diplomatic issue between both governments since Ecuadorian authorities arrested Glas during a controversial embassy operation in 2024.
Ecuador and Colombia are major trading partners, analysts warn that the new tariff could disrupt regional commerce and test existing trade arrangements if diplomatic efforts fail to ease the dispute.
For now, Ecuador says the tariff is a security driven measure, but regional observers note that political rivalry and differing crime strategies are also shaping the growing divide between the two neighbours.
