Former Mayor of Manta Arrested in Panama in Anti-Narcotics Operation with Jacobo Bucaram
Jaime Estrada Bonilla and former legislator Jaime Estrada Medranda were captured in Panama during an international operation against drug trafficking.
Two Ecuadorian Citizens Detained in Panama During Regional Anti-Narcotics Operation
Former Mayor of Manta Jaime Estrada Bonilla and former legislator Jaime Estrada Medranda were detained in Panama as part of an international anti-narcotics operation, confirmed Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg on Wednesday. According to vistazo.com, both are subject to INTERPOL red notices and are wanted by United States authorities for alleged drug trafficking offences.
The arrests were carried out during a regional operation coordinated between Ecuador and Panama, with the participation of the Ecuadorian National Police, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the United States Government and INTERPOL.
Five Ecuadorian Citizens Located in Total
The operation resulted in the location of five Ecuadorian citizens wanted by the United States. Three of them were captured in Guayaquil: Jacobo Bucaram Pulley, son of former president Abdalá Bucaram; Geovanny Antonio Fernández Menéndez; and William José Briones López. The remaining two are Estrada Bonilla and Estrada Medranda, detained in Panamanian territory.
Bucaram Pulley, Fernández and Briones also have INTERPOL red notices and are wanted by the United States for alleged drug trafficking offences, according to the Interior Ministry.
Jacobo Bucaram, Previously Convicted in COVID-19 Case
The detention of Jacobo Bucaram Pulley comes months after a Quito Criminal Guarantees Court sentenced him on 9 September 2026 to nine years and four months imprisonment for his participation in the so-called COVID-19 Testing case. In that proceeding, he was found guilty, in the capacity of collaborator, of the crime of organised crime.
The investigation was related to an alleged structure dedicated to obtaining irregular economic benefits through the commercialisation of rapid diagnostic tests and other medical supplies during the health emergency in 2020. His father, former president Abdalá Bucaram Ortiz, received the same sentence and identical participation status in that case.
Source: Google News EC — Crime