Son of former president Bucaram detained in Guayaquil on drug trafficking charges
Jacobo Bucaram was arrested in Guayaquil with an Interpol red alert and will be extradited to the US. The operation was coordinated between Ecuador, Panama, the DEA and Interpol.
Regional operation captures Jacobo Bucaram in Guayaquil
Jacobo Bucaram, son of former Ecuadorian president Abdalá Bucaram (1996–1997), was detained on Wednesday in Guayaquil as part of a regional operation coordinated between Ecuador, Panama, the DEA, the US Government and Interpol, according to es-us.noticias.yahoo.com. The Interior Ministry confirmed that Bucaram will be sent to the United States, where he is wanted by the authorities for alleged links to drug trafficking.
Interior Minister John Reimberg announced the detention through the social network X and indicated that Jacobo Bucaram had an Interpol red capture alert. Along with him, Geovanny Fernández Menéndez and William Briones López were apprehended in Guayaquil. In Panama, the authorities detained Jaime Estrada Bonilla and Jaime Estrada Medranda, bringing the total to five Ecuadorian citizens wanted by US justice.
"They will be sent to that country in accordance with the corresponding procedure. The message is clear: there are no privileges, there are no untouchables and there is no room for impunity," Reimberg stated.
Previous conviction for irregular sale of COVID-19 tests
Jacobo Bucaram's detention came nearly two months after an Ecuadorian court condemned him and his father to nine years and four months in prison for organised crime. The case is related to the irregular marketing of approximately 21,000 COVID-19 diagnostic tests and other medical supplies between March and August 2020. The trial, in which the Public Prosecutor's Office accused both Bucaram of collaborating with a criminal structure to obtain economic benefits, stretched on for six years.
Noboa reaffirms commitment against organised crime
Reimberg highlighted that president Daniel Noboa reaffirms his government's commitment to "strengthen international cooperation, combat drug trafficking and confront organised crime without respite or impunity". The minister added that "under the leadership of President Noboa, the National Police and the entire Security Block continue to act with firmness".
Former president Bucaram reacts on social media
Former president Abdalá Bucaram responded to his son's arrest through the social network X, accusing former Interior Minister María Paula Romo of being behind the operation. "The Romo woman again. She has my son detained with an Interpol red notice without even my son knowing what it's about," he wrote.
In May 2024, Jacobo Bucaram had already been detained at what was called a "narco-party" on the road to the coast of Guayaquil, according to the newspaper Primicias. Following his arrest on Wednesday, former president Abdalá Bucaram went to Cuartel Modelo, the facility where his son was being held.
Source: Google News EC — Crime