Joint Ecuador-US operation dismantles Jalisco Cartel network and detains 40 people
Ecuadorian police and troops from the US Southern Command dismantled a drug trafficking gang linked to the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, with approximately 40 people detained.
Drug trafficking network linked to Jalisco Cartel dismantled across three Ecuadorian provinces
A drug trafficking gang with direct links to the Mexican Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel was dismantled on Thursday in Ecuador through a joint operation between the National Police and troops from the US Southern Command, according to abc7.com.
Ecuador's Interior Minister, John Reimberg, indicated that the group was responsible for sending tonnes of drugs abroad and that in previous months approximately seven tonnes of narcotics had already been seized from it.
The raids were carried out across three provinces of the country. During them, the organisation's financier was detained along with approximately 40 people, mostly of Ecuadorian nationality. The Public Prosecutor's Office stated that mobile phones, cash, jewellery, weapons and high-end vehicles were seized.
The drugs came from Colombia and had the United States as their main destination, which justified the joint nature of the operation, according to Reimberg. The operation was supported by approximately 50 US personnel and agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
President Daniel Noboa celebrated the result on his X account. "Great work in our mission to recover Ecuador and the region," he wrote, and added that "no state can face alone an enemy that crosses borders." Midway through this year, Noboa authorised by decree the deployment and action of foreign troops on Ecuadorian soil to combat organised crime.
One day before the operation, Ecuadorian security forces with support from the Southern Command killed the leader of the Los Choneros criminal gang, identified by the alias "Charlie", who was identified as the logistical and financial operator of that local organisation which also maintains links with the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel.
International organisations estimate that Ecuador has become a storage and export platform for approximately 70% of cocaine worldwide, mostly sourced from Colombia. The connection between local gangs and international drug trafficking networks is cited as one of the main causes of the increase in criminal violence in the country.
Source: Google News EC — Crime