Four tons Cocaine. Hundreds of large packages packed in jute bags worth more than 100,000 euros 50 million dollars. At least 10 million doses of white powder destined for international trade. And how much confiscated by the armed forces of Colombia And Ecuador in their respective territorial waters, on board two Submarines, on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st January. Seizures that reveal and confirm the methods and great importance of the international human trafficking it manages anesthesia and intended for the European and American drug markets.
The first seizure has occurred Saturdaywhen Ecuadorian authorities captured a 15-meter-long submarine about 60 km off the coast of the province Esmeralda. A total of 161 large packages wrapped in jute bags were found in the submarine 3.2 tons About $50 million worth of cocaine. The second seizure dates back to Sunday, when the Colombian Navy announced the seizure of the country's “first semi-submarine of the year.” In this case, too, it was a 15-meter-long submarine that was intercepted in the waters of the Pacific Ocean near the port Buenaventurawith a load 795 kilos Cocaine. The three crew members were arrested.
In November 2023, as Voz de América reports, a similar submarine carrying a cargo of five tons of drugs was seized in a maritime area of the Galapagos Islands, which are politically part of Ecuador. Similar attacks also occurred last year. The President of Ecuador, Daniel NoboaIn some statements to Colombia's Radio W, he explained the complexity of the reasons that made Ecuador one Logistics center in the chain of trafficking in illegal substances. According to the President, the basis of this process would be dollarization, appropriate communication channels and the industrial system.
Furthermore, the situation in Ecuador is complex and caused by numerous causes factors. Two weeks after the proclamation of Emergency For what has been defined as a genuine internal armed conflict, the tug of war between crime and law enforcement continues. “There Dollarization “This is one of the factors that makes it attractive for criminal gangs to operate in Ecuador because it makes it easier to launder dollars,” the economist told LaPoliticaOnline Juan Pablo Jaramillowho also added: “Violence is multi-causal and obviously that Drug trafficking It is one of the many factors that increase violence.” Ecuador, he continued, “is among the two largest producers of cocaine in the world.” From 2015 to 2023, there was an increase in the supply and demand for cocaine in Europe. And since 2019 it has been State institutions in Ecuador they are weakening systematically.”