Shield of the Americas: U.S. Special Forces Move Now to Stop Los Lobos in Ecuador

Change Agents with Andy Stumpf

IRONCLAD

Society & Culture

4.9 • 648 Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2026

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Chris Dalby is a journalist and an expert in transnational organized crime. He’s also the director of the “World of Crime” think tank and a Senior Analyst for Dyami Security Intelligence. Today on Change Agents, he joins Andy Stumpf to discuss the Shield of the Americas operation, and how U.S. Special Forces plan to stop the violent Los Lobos gang from taking over more of Ecuador. Change Agents is an IRONCLAD Original (00:00) Preview & Guest Intro: Chris Dalby (01:06) US Military Operations in Ecuador (03:38) How Ecuador Became a Narco Dream Destination (06:58) Deep Dive: The Rise of Los Lobos (14:17) Why 70% of the World's Cocaine Flows Through Ecuador (18:25) Analyzing the "Shield of the Americas" Doctrine (25:38) US Surveillance: AI, Radar, and GPS Spoofing (31:12) The "Red Line": US Military Raids into Mexico? (41:26) High-Tech Smuggling: Remote Subs & Liquid Coke (47:20) Why Seizures Won't Solve the Drug Crisis (50:57) Final Thoughts: The Human Cost Sponsors: Firecracker Farm Use code IRONCLAD to get 15% off your first order at https://firecracker.farm/ GHOSTBED: Go to https://www.GhostBed.com/IRONCLAD and use code IRONCLAD for an extra 15% off sitewide. Norwood Sawmills: Learn more about Norwood Sawmills and how you can start milling your own lumber at https://norwoodsawmills.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	All right, we've got Simon on the line. Simon, young people, they're just all a bit, a bit lazy, aren't they?
0:09.0	What are you for?
0:10.0	Welcome to McDonald's.
0:11.0	Have you get the six minutes, please?
0:12.0	Some say young people are work shy, but at McDonald's, we hired 47,000 of them last year.
0:19.0	How's your night?
0:20.0	Like George here, who keeps things running during a Friday rush.
0:23.6	Resilience, making it happen at McDonald's.
0:28.6	Now are all the traitors present?
0:32.6	Let's get started, shall we?
0:34.6	From rags to riches.
0:35.6	I'm so sick of this.
0:36.6	Working like a dog and being treated worse.
0:39.3	Yorkshire to New York.
0:40.3	Or climbers, you and me.
0:42.3	A life dedicated to revenge.
0:44.3	Let's make this an occasion to remember.
0:46.3	A woman of substance on Channel 4.
0:49.3	Stream now.
0:50.3	So the law in, what, five years, go from a small prison gang to a transversal criminal group
0:57.6	that is embedded in every facet of Ecuadorian society.
1:00.8	Whether it's obviously drug trafficking is still their main activity, but murder for hire,
	...

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