A large-scale drug trafficking investigation, supported by Europol, led to the dismantling of an Ecuadorian criminal cell involved in supplying wholesale cocaine to the EU via major ports.
The international operation, led by the Ecuadorian National Police (Policía Nacional del Ecuador), also involved the German Criminal Police (LKA Baden-Württemberg), German Customs (ZFA Stuttgart) and the Spanish Guardia Civil.
The criminal structure targeted in Ecuador is part of an intercontinental criminal network involved in multi-tonne cocaine trafficking via sea containers from South America to Europe.
This cell arranged the transport from Ecuador to Europe, managed money flows through different companies and frontmen, and maintained contact with the suppliers. The criminal cells operating in Germany and Spain – equipped with commercial and transport companies and drivers – handled the logistical part of the operation in Europe and the further distribution of the drugs within the EU.
The action day on 13 March in Ecuador led to:
- 36 arrests in Guayaquil
- 50 house searches
- Seizures including vehicles, documents and electronic equipment.
This criminal network was importing large quantities of cocaine from Ecuador to ports in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.
Since the start of the investigation in 2024, national authorities have seized 73 tonnes of cocaine Ecuador and the EU, and arrested 14 individuals in Germany and Spain for their alleged involvement in the criminal enterprise.