While it is evident that organized crime erodes state power and causes socioeconomic imbalances in a country, it may seem counterintuitive to assume that the states shape organized crime. However, based on our research and analysis on organized crime and drug trafficking in Ecuador during the last decade, this chapter argues the latter. This work sheds light on the state-organized crime relationship and argues that criminality in Ecuador is determined by the state and its socioeconomic structures. In this study, we discuss the way in which the illicit activities in the Ecuadorian territory differ from the crime and violence present on its northern border.