Ecuador has seized more than ten tons of cocaine during seven operations carried out on the high seas over three weeks with the support of the US Coast Guard, military and police officials said.
The government of President Daniel Noboa has been waging a war since 2024 against local drug trafficking and organized crime gangs with ties to international cartels. Ecuador is wracked by wars between rival groups.
According to data from Insight Crime, Ecuador was the most dangerous country in Latin America in 2024, with a high murder rate.
"We have seized 10,3 tons of cocaine, which will be handed over to the courts for destruction," Colonel Vladimir Acurio, police chief of Manta in southwestern Ecuador, told a news conference.
In coordination with the Ecuadorian Navy, a U.S. Coast Guard unit arrived in Manta to hand over the drugs, and 18 people were arrested on the ships carrying the cargo.
The Ministry of Defense announced on the social network X that seven operations were carried out on the high seas between August 2 and 22.
There are about 20 criminal groups operating in Ecuador, which are involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping and extortion. According to official figures, 73 percent of the world's cocaine passes through Ecuadorian ports.
The country seized a record 294 tons of drugs, mostly cocaine, last year, compared to 221 tons in 2023.
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