On 15 January 2025, Néstor Caicedo, an Afro-descendant land and environmental defender in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, received new threats from individuals identifying as “the mafia,” demanding money and warning of retaliation. The threats came days before a key hearing in a lawsuit against Energy & Palma, a palm oil company accused of illegal land grabs and environmental harm. Caicedo and his community have faced criminalization and intimidation for resisting palm oil expansion, highlighting the dangerous intersection of corporate interests, land disputes, and organized violence.