About 14 tons of drugs seized by police in Ecuador

Police in Ecuador have seized nearly 14 tons of drugs destined for Central America, the United States and Europe, authorities announced in the country that is home to one of the largest illegal cocaine platforms in the Americas.

“During the ‘Great Jericho 35’ operation, 42 searches were carried out in several provinces of the country, resulting in the arrest of 28 people and the seizure of 13.6 tons of drugs,” Interior Minister Juan Zapata wrote on social media.

We say this several times: we are fighting vigorously against organized crime and drug trafficking.
During the “Gran Jericó 35” operation, 42 attacks were carried out in different provinces of the country, during which 28 nationals were arrested and 13.6 tons of drugs were seized. pic.twitter.com/qbd6nfmV0I

– Juan Zapata (@CapiZapataEC) October 6, 2023

The police operation is the result of a year of investigation, with “information exchanges with Mexico, Colombia and the United States,” Zapata said.

Shotguns, machine guns and pistols were also seized, and 33 other people had already been arrested in raids preceding the “Grande Jericho 35” operation and were involved in drug trafficking.

Quito police said the organized crime group had been dismantled and had “international ties.”

The group consisted of Ecuadorian, Colombian and Venezuelan citizens involved in the trade of “alkaloid substances (chemical compounds) originating in Colombia”.

The announced raids took place in eight of the country’s 24 provinces, where there has been an uncontrolled increase in drug trafficking and violence linked to organized crime.

The drugs, which were placed in containers at ports, were transported across the Pacific Ocean from the provinces of Manabí (southwest) and Esmeraldas, in the northeast, on the border with Colombia.

Since 2021, more than 500 tons of drugs have been seized in Ecuador and the number of murders has increased.

The murder rate quadrupled between 2018 and 2022, reaching a maximum of 26 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

Ecuador, located between Colombia and Peru, the world’s top cocaine producers, has become a drug exporter due to its geographic location.

Drug traffickers are linked to criminal groups with international branches, such as the Mexican cartels Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generacion.