Ecuador dismantles drug trafficking network with European connections: 18 arrests
Ecuadorian authorities, with Europol support, dismantled an organisation dedicated to maritime shipment of drugs to Europe. Among those captured are a Pole and an Albanian alleged ringleader.
Ecuador dismantles drug trafficking network with European connections: 18 arrests
On Thursday morning, Ecuadorian police forces conducted a broad operation across four provinces—Esmeraldas, Guayas, Azuay and El Oro—with backing from Europol. The result of these operations was 18 people deprived of liberty, accused of forming part of an illicit association that sent drugs by sea to European territory.
The Ecuadorian Public Prosecutor's Office announced on its X account that the gang maintained alliances with criminal networks in Poland and Albania, in addition to collaborating with criminal factions in Colombia and the Andean country itself. The Prosecutor's Office specified that the modus operandi consisted of oceanic transport of drugs destined for nations of the European continent.
Among those apprehended is Daci P., an Albanian to whom investigators attribute command of the organisation. Another relevant name is Tomasz J., of Polish nationality, who was already detained under investigation for alleged illicit activities linked to arms trafficking.
The police officers seized satellite tracking equipment, a dozen mobile devices and cash. The Prosecutor's Office opted not to reveal the exact amount of cash recovered.
The newspaper "El Universo" offered additional figures: eleven people were taken into custody during Thursday's proceedings, while seven more—among them the Pole—had been incarcerated previously in recent weeks. The publication also indicated that the structure included members born in Ecuador, adding to the Albanian and the European.
Months earlier, in June, local press had already reported the capture of Tomasz J., a 48-year-old man who holds both Polish and Ecuadorian citizenship. This individual had an active search warrant from Interpol—a red notice—for his alleged involvement in the drugs business. According to the newspaper "Expreso", local detectives consider that the man served as a bridge between criminal cells in the Old Continent and Ecuadorian gangs such as Los Lobos and Los Choneros.
Ecuador's geographical location is strategic for the illegal trade in substances. Bordering Colombia—the world's principal cocaine manufacturer—the country functions as a logistics corridor. National criminal clans, in collusion with Colombian cartels, transport the alkaloids to Ecuadorian ports, from where vessels depart bound for United States and European markets.
Source: RMF24
Source: RMF24