Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa has revealed that, next month, his country will start to impose a 30 percent “security tariff” on its neighbour Colombia for failing to contain illegal mining and the trafficking of cocaine.Wednesday’s announcement echoes similar measures taken by United States President Donald Trump, who has criticised Colombia’s left-wing government for not pursuing a more aggressive approach to drug trafficking.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listIn a social media post, Noboa unveiled the new tariff on Colombian imports. He warned that the new tax would remain in place until the country showed “a real commitment to jointly confronting drug-trafficking and illegal mining at the border”.“We have made genuine efforts to cooperate with Colombia, even while facing a trade deficit exceeding $1bn annually,” Noboa wrote.“But while we have insisted on dialogue, our military continues to confront criminal groups linked to drug trafficking at the border without any cooperation from Colombia. Therefore, given the lack of reciprocity and decisive action, Ecuador will apply a 30 percent security tariff on imports from Colombia starting February 1.” US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is greeted by Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa at Ecuador’s Ulpiano Paez Air Base on November 6, 2025 [Alex Brandon/Reuters, pool]Close ties to TrumpNoboa, 38, is a right-wing leader who has expressed affinity for Trump and his policies.When Trump was re-elected in 2024, Noboa hailed the victory with a social media post saying that the “future looks bright for the Continent”. Advertisement And since his own re-election in 2025, Noboa has backed Trump’s attempts to increase US influence ac …
