HomeNewsBriefEcuador Ex-Army Captain Trafficked Drugs With Sinaloa: Police
BRIEF

Ecuador Ex-Army Captain Trafficked Drugs With Sinaloa: Police

ECUADOR / 11 JUN 2013 BY MIRIAM WELLS EN

A former army captain of Ecuador, accused of running a major drug trafficking network with links to Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, has been captured.

Telmo Castro, described by Interior Minister Jose Serrano as "the most wanted drug trafficker, with links to the majority of cases that have happened in this country," was arrested in Ecuador on June 7, following eight months of surveillance and the discovery of a light aircraft believed to have been used to smuggle drugs. During the capture police seized 300 kilos of drugs and grenades, reported the newspaper El Comercio.

The plane was the fifth to be detected since May last year, all linked to the Sinaloa Cartel and Castro, reported  the Spanish newspaper El Mundo. The first, which crashed in the province of Manabi, had $1.4 million on board. According to a police source who spoke to El Comercio, the pilots were security staff for Mexican cartel leaders.

Castro is accused of directing drug shipments from ports in Manta and Jaramijo, in the province of Manabi, as well as Puerto Bolivar in El Oro province, Guayaquil in Guayas province, and the Galapagos Islands. He was originally arrested in 2009 during an operation in which 8.4 tons of drugs were confiscated. He was sentenced to two years in prison but negotiated a 49 percent reduction in his sentence, El Comercio reported.

InSight Crime Analysis

While Ecuador's cocaine trade has traditionally been controlled by Colombian groups, it has seen increasing involvement from Mexican groups in recent years, primarily the Sinaloa Cartel, as illustrated by various captures. According to police sources cited by El Comercio, the Sinaloa Cartel has been operating in Ecuador for three years, though previous reports suggest it may have a longer history in the country.

The increased presence of international criminal organizations is believed to be spurring growth in Ecuador's domestic drugs and money laundering industries. 

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COCAINE / 23 JUN 2021

In Ecuador’s coastal town of Posorja, boats are being set on fire and people are being killed, as this fishing…

HUMAN RIGHTS / 28 JAN 2022

A number of media workers in Mexico have been shot and killed, stabbed to death and ambushed in armed attacks…

ECUADOR / 27 OCT 2022

Fishing vessels are harvesting smaller marine species in Ecuador as the demand for fishmeal is drawing the attention of illegal…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.