Interior Minister John Reimberg announced that Ecuadorian security forces seized more than 2.7 tonnes of drugs and arrested seven suspects during nationwide operations. The coordinated interventions took place between August 10 and August 16 across several provinces.
Reimberg detailed the outcomes of the week-long crackdown in a video posted to his social media channels. He said specialized units targeted criminal organizations across the country to dismantle their operations and weaken their financial and logistical capabilities.
Ecuador has become a major transit hub for international narcotics trafficking due to its location between Colombia and Peru, the world's primary cocaine producers. Maritime routes along Ecuador's Pacific coastline and busy commercial shipping ports are frequently exploited by drug cartels moving illicit shipments toward North America and Europe.
Coastal cocaine seizures
The largest drug recovery occurred in Muisne, a coastal canton in the northwestern province of Esmeraldas. National Police agents seized 1.5 tonnes of drugs at the site. Authorities said officers recovered 1,600 blocks of cocaine packed inside 42 sacks.
According to police, the cocaine was obtained in Colombia and stored temporarily along the Esmeraldas coastline before traffickers planned to transport the illicit cargo to Central America and North America. Esmeraldas borders Colombia directly and features dense coastal mangroves, making it a key staging ground for maritime smuggling operations.
In another major maritime operation, National Police intercepted 1.2 tonnes of drugs at the port of Guayaquil. Officers searched a commercial fruit container bound for Málaga, Spain, where they discovered the concealed narcotics shipment.
Guayaquil is Ecuador's largest city and principal seaport, handling the bulk of the nation's international container traffic. European port cities such as Málaga serve as frequent entry points for South American narcotics smuggled via international freight channels.
Capital city crackdowns
Police officers also executed Operation Apollo 36 in Quito as part of the capital's broader Quito Protection Plan. Reimberg reported that officers arrested seven individuals and confiscated 15 kilograms of drugs during the operation.
Investigative and intelligence units carried out targeted inspections across key commercial corridors in Quito, including Mariscal Street, Colón Avenue, and 12 de Octubre Avenue. Law enforcement teams simultaneously conducted control operations across all nine districts of the capital city.
Quito, situated high in the Andes mountains, is divided into distinct administrative districts to manage public safety and urban services. Municipal protection initiatives like the Quito Protection Plan focus on heavily frequented commercial areas and high-density transport routes to curb urban crime.
Fugitive deportation and prison transfer
In the northern border province of Carchi, the Undersecretariat of Migration worked alongside the National Police and United States federal agents to apprehend a Colombian national. Authorities identified the man as Luis Fernando P., who was subject to three outstanding arrest warrants and an Interpol blue notice.
Luis Fernando P. faces charges in Colombia for extortionate kidnapping, homicide, and arms trafficking. Following his detention in Ecuador, officials deported him and placed him directly in the custody of Colombian authorities. Interpol blue notices are international requests used by law enforcement agencies to collect information on a suspect's identity, whereabouts, or criminal activities across international borders.
The nationwide security efforts concluded with a high-security inmate relocation managed by the National Service for Comprehensive Attention to Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders (SNAI). Supported by the National Police and the Armed Forces, prison officials transferred 50 incarcerated individuals from the Los Ríos No. 2 Social Deprivation of Liberty Center to the Azuay No. 1 Social Deprivation of Liberty Center.
SNAI is the state administrative body responsible for managing Ecuador's penitentiary system and inmate security. Reimberg confirmed that the inter-facility prison transfer was executed under technical planning to maintain security control across state correctional facilities.
