The U.S. Embassy in Quito, Ecuador, has opened the first FBI office in the country.
“Today we celebrate another strategic and operational milestone in security. In Quito, the Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy and Consulate of the United States, Lawrence Petroni, inaugurated the opening of the first Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office in Ecuador,” the U.S. Embassy in Quito wrote on social media Wednesday. “The Chargé d’Affaires a.i. highlighted: ‘With this memorandum and with the creation of the FBI’s trusted unit, we enhance our joint capacity to identify, dismantle, and bring to justice those who traffic drugs, launder money, smuggle weapons, and finance terrorism.'”
Ecuador’s Interior Minister, John Reimber, told reporters that collaboration would begin immediately, according to Reuters. “What has changed is that we have FBI agents permanently in Ecuador working with a national police unit that has been set up so that they can work together,” he said.
The FBI has also opened an office in Wellington, New Zealand, in an effort to expand its presence amid growing security threats posed by cybercrimes and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence. “The FBI has had a strong relationship and collaborated closely with our counterparts in New Zealand for years,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Expanding the Wellington office demonstrates the strength and evolution of our partnership as we continue to work together to address our shared security objectives in the region.”
According to Chargé d’affaires David Gehrenbeck, the office will play a key role in the region’s security collaboration. “Building on its foundation laid in 2017, this upgraded presence will support joint investigations, information sharing, and capacity-building across New Zealand, Antarctica, Samoa, Niue, Cook Islands, and Tonga,” Gehrenbeck explained.
