Operation CANTABRIA: 20 arrested in Ecuador following joint blow against cocaine network
Europe and Ecuador dismantle drug network with 20 arrests and 23 raids on 8 October. Over 43 tonnes of cocaine seized in operations since 2022.
Europol and forces from Spain and Ecuador detain 20 suspects in anti-narcotics operation
According to europeantimes.news, Operation CANTABRIA concluded on 8 October 2026 with the detention of 20 suspects in various locations in Ecuador and the search of 23 properties. The operation was coordinated by Europol together with the Guardia Civil and National Police of Spain, as well as the Federal Police of Ecuador.
The criminal network that was dismantled was engaged in large-scale cocaine trafficking from Latin America to Europe. To evade police and customs controls, those under investigation operated under the guise of tropical fruit import and export companies, concealing shipments among legitimate commercial consignments.
Ecuador played a strategic role in the organisation owing to its proximity to Colombia—the world's leading cocaine producer—its active tropical fruit export sector and its ports handling high volumes of container traffic. The investigation also revealed that the network maintained bases in Peru and operational links in major European logistical hubs, including ports in Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands, as well as connections in the United Arab Emirates.
During the investigation phase, two Ecuadorian officers were deployed to Europol's headquarters in The Hague, where they worked with agents from Member States in information gathering, data exchange and intelligence analysis.
The cumulative results of the cooperation are significant: between 2022 and 2026, 13 operations were carried out which resulted in the seizure of over 43 tonnes of cocaine, including Operation CANTABRIA. Part of those seizures were identified through data obtained from the encrypted platform Sky ECC.
Among the most relevant previous operations is December 2020, when Dutch authorities intercepted two banana shipments from Ecuador containing nearly 4 tonnes of cocaine. Months later, Ecuadorian forces halted a shipment with over 2 tonnes destined for Belgian ports. In the period 2023-2024 alone, over 35 tonnes were seized, including an operation in Spain where 13 tonnes were confiscated.
Operation CANTABRIA also received support from EL PACCTO 2.0, a European Union cooperation programme with Latin America and the Caribbean aimed at strengthening security and justice in the face of transnational organised crime.
Source: Google News EC — Crime