Trapped in the Tide of Organized Crime

Trapped in the Tide of Organized Crime

October 02, 2024 at 03:37AM

For Hakai Magazine, Kimberley Brown reports that the violence in Ecuador from gangs, drug cartels, and other armed and criminal groups is threatening the livelihoods of cangrejeros, people who catch and sell crabs. These cangrejeros, who are part of traditional crabbing collectives on the Ecuadorian coast, also help to protect the country’s mangrove ecosystems. Brown spends time with some of these longtime crabbers, like Marcos Ruiz, who are trying to support their families and preserve their way of life.

Lately, though, the tranquility of this routine has been shattered. Ruiz has been a cangrejero for more than 20 years, and in that time, he and his fellow crabbers have overcome pirates, unforgiving weather, and an aggressive shrimp farming industry. Now, organized crime and drug trafficking threaten to undo those gains. In addition to the day’s catch, Ruiz must also consider the armed group charging his collective a monthly extortion fee, the strain of safely getting to the mangroves and home again, and plummeting sales related to the violence that has largely taken over Ecuador’s coast. Can the cangrejeros’ unity and connection to place help them withstand such pressures?

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from Longreads https://longreads.com/2024/10/01/trapped-in-the-tide-of-organized-crime/
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