Ecuador mounts anti-drug operation overseen by Blackwater founder

Ecuadoran security forces mounted an operation against drug gangs Saturday overseen by ministers and with the founder of divisive US security contractor Blackwater Erik Prince in attendance, ahead of a run-off election on April 13.

The operation, involving 650 police and military personnel, saw raids on homes and drug addiction rehab centers where residents were allegedly forced to extort others, said the police chief in the country's largest city Guayaquil.

Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa announced during his election campaign a "strategic alliance" with the founder of Blackwater. Ecuador, through which 73 percent of the world's cocaine transits according to official figures, was until a few years ago a peaceful oasis between Colombia and Peru, the largest producers of the drug.