Ecuador Navy intercepts 2.2 tonnes of drugs in offshore operation

The Ecuadorian Navy seized 73 containers holding about 2.2 tonnes of narcotics off the coast of Esmeraldas, arresting six citizens and disrupting a shipment bound for Central America, the United States and Europe.

In the interior, the Ecuadorian Army dismantled a micro‑trafficking hub in the canton of Baba, Los Ríos, detaining three people, seizing 79 cocaine packages and cash. A separate army raid in the same canton captured three women linked to the Los Lobos drug network and recovered roughly 180 g of cocaine and 60 g of base paste.

Ecuador's police also intercepted 1.7 tonnes of cocaine concealed in a fruit container in Pasaje, El Oro, arresting four suspects, and seized 6.5 g of cocaine from a taxi driver in Ambato.

In neighboring countries, Argentina's Gendarmería confiscated 5 kg of coca leaves and 2,300 foreign‑origin bicarbonate packages, while Bolivia's FELCN seized 508 packages of marijuana on the Oruro–Uyuni highway and arrested the driver. Chilean police uncovered a stash of stolen vehicles, weapons, drugs and contraband in San Antonio, detaining one man. Colombian authorities seized 657 kg of cocaine at the Chinauta toll, arresting the driver.

These coordinated operations illustrate a regional crackdown on drug trafficking across Ecuador, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Colombia.