Ecuador’s top court on Wednesday authorized the holding of a referendum sought by President Daniel Noboa on constitutional reforms to boost his fight against drug trafficking and organized crime.

Noboa has staked his political fortunes on reducing record murder rates, but his country — once among the safest in Latin America — is now one of the most dangerous.

Ecuador is nestled between the world’s biggest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, and is home to several Pacific Ocean ports that have attracted cartels, mafias, and criminal gangs from around the world.

Ecuador is thought to be the departure point for 70 percent of the world’s supply of cocaine, most of it destined for the United States.

Noboa now wants to change the constitution to allow for the return of foreign military bas

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