Police officer arrested in drugs and fuel-trafficking operation in Ecuador
A serving sergeant is among ten arrested as part of a crackdown on a criminal network operating in Esmeraldas, Manabí and Tungurahua. The operation included 19 search warrants.
Sergeant arrested in anti-narcotics operation following 17 months of investigation
A serving police officer is among ten detained as part of an operation against an alleged organised crime network engaged in drug trafficking and the illegal trafficking of fuel, Ecuador's Interior Ministry reported, according to infobae.com.
The detained officer is sergeant David Orlando Z. V., known by the alias Mi Sub, who allegedly was responsible for the supply and distribution of fuel destined for the organisation's vessels.
The network operated in the coastal provinces of Esmeraldas and Manabí, as well as in the Andean province of Tungurahua. It used the coastline as strategic points for the collection and dispatch of drugs, with a structure that included financing, land and maritime transport, and a security scheme to protect its illicit activities.
The operation was led by the Interior Minister, John Reimberg, together with the National Police and in coordination with the State Attorney General's Office, following 17 months of investigation. Nineteen search warrants were executed simultaneously.
The investigations link this organisation to significant seizures recorded between March and November 2025: approximately 1.4 tonnes of cocaine, 142 containers of fuel derived from hydrocarbons, three vessels, a truck, firearms and ammunition.
During the search warrants, authorities also confiscated approximately 10,000 US dollars in cash, a handgun, 111 cartridges, a magazine, nine mobile phones, a satellite radio, a video surveillance system and documentation relevant to the investigation.
Ecuador, situated between Colombia and Peru—the world's two largest cocaine producers—has several ports and a dollarised economy, factors that have made it a key transit point for drugs destined primarily for Europe and North America.
Source: Google News EC — Crime