Drug mafia intensifies operations in Ecuador’s ports

Ecuadorian police have seized more than two tons of drugs in containers destined for European black markets. The seizure comes as part of three operations conducted in the streets and ports of Guayaquil.

According to police, 67.6 tons of drugs have been seized this year in Zone 8 of the Guayas provinces, corresponding to the cantons of Guayaquil, Durán, and Samborondón.

During the operation, personnel from the Regional Canine Training Center (CRAC) were conducting preventive patrols when they noticed boxes of tuna piled up in an unusual manner outside some containers in the bay of one of the city’s ports.

With this in mind, CRAC units alerted the Ports and Airports Anti-Drug Investigation Unit (UIPA) to investigate the containers in the area.

With the help of trained dogs, CRAC personnel discovered that the two containers of canned tuna contained 960 blocks of cocaine, divided into fifteen bags, which amounted to more than one ton of drugs.

This shipment of 9.6 million doses was destined for the United Kingdom and other European markets. Over the weekend, 753 blocks of cocaine were found in another shipment of bananas destined for Italy – the weight of this consignment was 754 kilograms.

In a third operation in the Los Vergeles sector, north of Guayaquil, drugs were found hidden in a compartment of a public transportation vehicle. The bus was parked in an alley.

There, police noticed that several people were entering and exiting the bus in a suspicious manner. While searching the transportation unit, officers found nine bags containing 970 blocks of drugs.

Although police have recorded a historic number of drug seizures, the mafia continues to increase its activity in Ecuador’s ports. In August 2022 alone, police officers seized more than ten tons of drugs throughout the country.

With each seizure, uniformed officers identified new destinations for the shipments. According to a recent international report by the United Nations, Ecuador is the second largest drug exporter in the region. Data show that drug traffickers ship drugs from Ecuadorian ports to 25 countries worldwide.

With information from Latina Press