HomeNewsBriefEcuador Makes Biggest Cocaine Bust of 2016 as Drug Seizures Rise
BRIEF

Ecuador Makes Biggest Cocaine Bust of 2016 as Drug Seizures Rise

COCAINE / 5 DEC 2016 BY MIMI YAGOUB EN

Ecuador has seized around 10 metric tons of cocaine at the Guayaquil port in the space of a few days, suggesting that the country may be growing in importance as one of Latin America's key drug transit hubs.

Ecuadorean police made their biggest cocaine seizure of the year on December 2, when officials intercepted 7.5 metric tons of the drug in Guayaquil. The cargo had been destined for Honduras and was concealed in a container that should have contained 400 kilograms of shrimp feed.

On November 29, Interior Minister Diego Fuentes announced the seizure of 2.5 metric tons of cocaine hydrochloride (HCl) in a banana shipment headed to the Netherlands, also in the Guayaquil port. The bust followed three months of investigations. Eight people were arrested.

The following day, Fuentes told the press that security forces had seized 81.15 metric tons of total drugs so far this year, surpassing the 72 metric tons of drugs seized over the same period in 2015. Of this year's seizures, 68.45 metric tons correspond to cocaine HCl, higher than the 59 metric tons of crystalized and base cocaine intercepted over the whole of 2015, according to US figures.

InSight Crime Analysis

Ecuador's seizures have been rising over the past few years. The country intercepted nine metric tons more cocaine and coca base in 2015 than in 2014, according to US statistics, and the difference this year may be even steeper. The US State Department reports that maritime seizures have also followed this rising trend, "despite the Ecuadorean Navy's lack of resources." This suggests that Ecuador's role as a Pacific transit hub for drugs heading to consumer nations such as the United States and European countries may be growing in importance.

SEE ALSO:  Coverage of Ecuador

While Ecuador itself does not produce any significant amount of cocaine, it is sandwiched between the world's two main producers of the drug -- Colombia and Peru -- and receives shipments from both ends.

Central to this dynamic is Guayaquil, one of the continent's most important ports and an exit point for illegal drugs that has long been under the influence of transnational organized crime. The volume of legal traffic through the port greatly facilitates this movement, as only 20 percent of containerized exports are inspected, according to the US State Department.

Guayaquil is also a meeting place for international criminal groups and a storage center for drugs. Indeed, seizures of the size seen recently are unusual, suggesting that a number of smaller drug loads were pooled together by different suppliers.

There are indications that the Sinaloa Cartel is operating from this port city, and past seizures have been linked to Colombia's most powerful criminal organization, the Urabeños.

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

AUC / 5 MAY 2022

Accused Colombia drug lord Dairo Antonio Úsuga, alias “Otoniel,” has been extradited to the United States, bringing to an end…

BRAZIL / 21 JUN 2022

Sergio Roberto de Carvalho, known as the "Brazilian Pablo Escobar," has been arrested in Hungary.

BRAZIL / 13 JAN 2022

Three shipments of cocaine were caught on the same day as they were about to head to France, Spain and…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…