Ecuadorian authorities claimed Thursday that they discovered roughly 14 tons of cocaine bound for Central America, the United States, and Europe.
Interior Minister Juan Zapata announced on X, formerly Twitter, that more than 40 raids were conducted across the nation, resulting in the arrest of 28 people and the confiscation of 13.6 tons of cocaine.
The operations were carried out in eight of the country’s twenty-four regions, where criminal violence and drug trafficking are on the rise.
Authorities have confiscated more than 500 tons of drugs since 2021.
Between 2018 and 2022, homicides quadrupled, climbing to a record 26 per 100,000 inhabitants.
This year, experts estimate that the rate of violent deaths will nearly double to 40.
The drug trafficking groups, according to authorities, have “transnational links” and are made up of Ecuadorians, Colombians, and Venezuelans.
Boats sailing across the Pacific from southwestern and northwest regions delivered the narcotics.
Ecuador has become a drug exporter due to its ideal location between Colombia and Peru, the world’s two largest cocaine producers.
Ecuadorian gangs have ties to international criminal organizations such as Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.