Ecuador court orders preventive detention for Polish man accused of leading drug-trafficking gang
An Ecuadorian court has ordered the preventive detention of a Polish citizen, Tomasz J., identified as the leader of a criminal organisation involved in cocaine trafficking to Europe.
Ecuador court orders preventive detention for Polish man accused of leading drug-trafficking gang
A court in Ecuador ordered preventive detention on Friday against a man of Polish nationality, suspected of running a criminal network that smuggled cocaine into Europe. Along with 16 other people, he faces charges of membership in a criminal organisation, according to the prosecutor's office in the South American country.
According to investigators, the gang had been operating since 2019 and maintained links with mafia groups in Albania and Poland, as well as with armed organisations in Colombia and criminal structures in Ecuadorian territory. Drugs were sent primarily to Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Denmark.
Members of the organisation acquired cocaine from laboratories located near the Colombian border. Subsequently, the narcotics were transported by land through Ecuador and concealed inside containers with export products such as bananas, coffee, seafood, timber and canned goods. Authorities detected direct connections between this group and several tonnes of cocaine seized in separate operations.
Investigators state that the network was run by Polish citizen Tomasz J., who had a red notice from Interpol and was wanted by his country's authorities for drug-related offences. He was detained in June in Ecuador, initially on suspicion of arms trafficking.
Among the accused is also Daci P., of Albanian origin with dual Ecuadorian citizenship, who allegedly held command functions within the gang. According to authorities, this individual acted as a representative of the Albanian mafia in Ecuador.
The prosecutor's office announced on Thursday the arrest of 18 people linked to the drug-trafficking network. Local media reported that 11 of them were arrested during simultaneous operations in four provinces, coordinated with Europol.
In June, Ecuador's Interior Minister, John Reimberg, confirmed the detention of Tomasz J., aged 48, who also holds Ecuadorian citizenship. Local authorities suspected that he acted as an intermediary between the Albanian mafia and Ecuadorian criminal groups such as Los Lobos and Los Choneros, participating in the shipment of large quantities of drugs from Ecuadorian ports to European nations.
Ecuador, a country bordering Colombia—the world's largest cocaine producer—plays a crucial role in international drug trafficking. Local organisations, in alliance with Colombian cartels, transport drugs to Ecuadorian ports, from where they are shipped to the United States and Europe.
Source: WP Wiadomości
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)