Drug-trafficking network dismantled in Esmeraldas: ten detained, including active police officer
Ecuadorian police dismantled a drug-trafficking network in Esmeraldas following 19 raids. Among the ten detained is an active-duty officer.
Active-duty police officer among ten arrested in anti-narcotics operation in Esmeraldas
Ecuadorian police dismantled a transnational crime network dedicated to drug trafficking in the coastal province of Esmeraldas, which borders Colombia, on Friday, according to apnews.com. Interior Minister John Reimberg confirmed that the operation — the result of nearly a year and a half of investigations — led to the detention of ten people, including an active-duty police officer.
The arrests followed 19 raids carried out in various cities in Esmeraldas province and one additional raid in Ambato, an Andean city in the interior of the country. Reimberg told the press that the organisation operated at "strategic points" in the provinces of Esmeraldas and Manabí for the "collection and dispatch" of drugs towards international waters.
The network had a fuel supply structure, land and maritime transport, and security services that it made available to other criminal organisations, the minister stated. According to a subsequent police statement, the detained officer would have been responsible for managing "the fuel warehouse and supply for the vessels used" in the illicit activities.
The investigations link the network to significant cocaine seizures carried out in 2025, as well as the seizure of 142 fuel tanks, three vessels, a truck, firearms and ammunition.
Ecuadorian authorities point out that the country has ceased to be a transit territory and has become a logistics hub for drug collection and distribution, given its position on the so-called Pacific route, used for trafficking towards the United States, Central America and Europe. At least 80 per cent of narcotics entering Ecuador come from Colombia, according to the UN.
Ecuador seized 214 tonnes of drugs during 2025 and an additional 80 tonnes in the first half of the current year, according to official figures.
Source: Google News EC — Crime