Ecuador seized more than ten tons of cocaine in seven operations carried out on the high seas for three weeks with the support of the US coastal guard, military and police authorities said Sunday.
The government of President Daniel Novoa has carried out a war against the local drug trafficking and organized crime with international posters with international posters since 2024.
A war between the Rivaux Group
Ecuador is plagued by the violence of a war between rival groups. According to Insight Crime, in 2024, it was the most dangerous country in Latin America, with a rate of 39 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.
“We are seized of 10.3 tons” of cocaine that will be available for justice for destruction, said Colonel Wladimir Acurio, Manta Police Chief (Southwest).
In coordination with the Ecuadorian Navy, a unit of the US Coast Guard arrived in Manta to return drugs and 18 people arrested aboard boats transported load. The Ministry of Defense specified on the social network X that the seven operations were carried out on the high seas between August 2 and 22.
A Shipping Place to the United States
Dollar countries whose ports overlook the Pacific, Ecuador has become a place of cocaine sending to the United States, the main consumer of the world and Europe. About twenty criminal groups operate in the country, practicing drug trafficking, kidnappings and extortion, according to authorities.
According to official figures, 73% of cocaine produced in the world in transit through equatorial ports. In 2024, the country entered a record of 294 tons of drugs, mainly cocaine, compared to 221 tons in 2023.
Source: BFM TV
