Ecuador's president declares 60-day state of emergency over rising crime

FILE PHOTO: Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso addresses the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 21, 2021. Mary Altaffer/Pool via REUTERS

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso late on Monday declared a state of emergency in the Andean country as part of a crackdown on the consumption and trafficking of drugs.

Lasso, a conservative who took office in May, said the move was a response to rising homicide figures nationwide and other crimes related to narcotic seizures, which total 147 tonnes so far this year.