Cocaine network supplying Mocro Maffia dismantled in Ecuador: 21 arrested
The National Police, Europol and Ecuador dismantle the network that supplied the Mocro Maffia and the Balkans cartel, with 21 arrested and 23 raids.
Operation in Ecuador dismantles network supplying cocaine to Mocro Maffia
The National Police has dismantled in Ecuador the transnational structure that allegedly supplied cocaine to the Mocro Maffia and the Balkans cartel. The operation, carried out on 8 October in coordination with the Ecuador Police and Europol, resulted in 21 arrests and 23 raids in Ecuadorian territory, according to moncloa.com.
Two European networks as recipients
The recipients of the drugs were two organisations with an established presence in Europe: the Mocro Maffia, a drug trafficking network rooted in the Netherlands and Belgium, and the Balkans cartel, one of the continent's leading cocaine distribution groups. The cocaine left Ecuador destined for markets in central and northern Europe.
The authorities have not yet disclosed the identity or nationality of those arrested, nor have they specified the volume of drugs seized in this phase of the operation.
The thread began in Algeciras in 2024
The investigation began with the interception of 13 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a banana container at the port of Algeciras in 2024, the largest seizure of this substance achieved to date by the National Police. That discovery opened a line of investigation which, two years later, has led to the other side of the Atlantic.
From the container, investigators reconstructed the logistical chain and traced the organisation's trail to its base in Ecuador, according to the police reconstruction of the case.
Two years of transnational investigation
The dismantled organisation is, according to the National Police, a transnational structure based in Ecuador and connected with groups that distribute cocaine in Europe. The link between the Andalusian port and the South American country forms the central axis of the case: the drugs seized in 2024 and the network dismantled now share origin and recipients.
The port of Algeciras, in the Campo de Gibraltar, figures among the main gateways for South American cocaine entering Europe. The investigation born from the 2024 seizure connects trafficking at source with networks operating on the continent, with direct impact for Spain.
Cooperation with Europol was key
The coordination between the National Police, Europol and Ecuadorian authorities proved decisive in closing the circle opened at the Cádiz port. The case confirms, according to investigators, that the Mocro Maffia and the Balkans cartel continue to depend on suppliers based in South America.
The investigation remains open. The analysis of the documentation seized in the 23 raids will mark the next steps of the operation, which also affect the European structures receiving the drugs.
Source: Google News EC — Crime