Europe's cocaine habit is devastating South America “Cocaine is the criminal steroid” Ecuador was known for decades as Latin America’s ‘island of peace’. It didn’t have the violent drug cartels that sow chaos in Mexico and Colombia or the high murder rates of Brazil and Venezuela. That is until a series of events completely overhauled the drug trade and Ecuador found itself with the world’s most valuable trafficking route. Just a few years later, Ecuador has the highest murder-rate in South America and criminal gangs are threatening to overrun the country. This video explains why Ecuador has become so violent, and reveals what Europe has to do with it.