4.5 tons of cocaine seized in Galapagos area

Five boats and 4,500 kilograms of cocaine were seized in the area of ​​the Galapagos archipelago, as part of an operation by the Ecuadorian Navy, in which 17 suspects were arrested, according to the source of “Vijesti” from the security service.

During the operation, which was carried out about 290 nautical miles from San Cristobal Island, some drug traffickers attempted to escape. During the escape, they threw about 1.5 tons of cocaine from one of the boats, which was found and seized by the Ecuadorian Navy unit.

The “News” was explained that a few days ago, acting on intelligence, the security forces had intercepted a smaller ship, whose crew had tried in vain to save the drugs and escape. In the wake of that action, a day later several vessels were intercepted and seized – four auxiliary speedboats and a fishing boat, allegedly connected to cocaine smuggling.

These boats sailed southeast of the Galapagos Province, approximately 310 nautical miles from the archipelago in the Pacific Ocean.

In addition to cocaine, approximately 2,000 liters of illegal fuel were seized and 16 Ecuadorian citizens and one Colombian citizen were arrested.

“The operation was carried out based on information from the intelligence service, which on August 13, during an unusual passage, detected a fishing boat heading to the Galapagos. The crew of the suspicious vessel, after noticing the presence of the Coast Guard unit, began to throw the packages into the water, leaving approximately 1.5 tons of cocaine in the water, which was recovered by a unit of the Ecuadorian Navy. A day later, a patrol boat spotted a fishing boat on a suspicious course. Also that day, the suspects tried to escape in vessels, but the Coast Guard was faster – they caught up with them all and were arrested. During the investigation, it was determined that the vessels were carrying several packages of a substance suspected of being cocaine,” the Ecuadorian Navy said.

They point out that all those arrested are related to each other.

THE GALAPGOS OF EUROPE AND AMERICA

An interlocutor from the foreign security service gave “Vijesta” a video of one of the actions of the Ecuadorian Navy in the Galapagos Islands. According to him, the video was made when cocaine was found on a semi-submersible submarine.

“Such submarines are used to evade patrol boats and ships of the Ecuadorian and Colombian navies. They are made to sink up to half a meter below the surface of the water, so that the ship’s radars would not be able to detect them, because they only read solids above the water. They have their own propulsion. “Such light submarines are built by more serious drug groups, whose profits amount to hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said.

He explained that the Galapagos Islands archipelago in Ecuador is a so-called transit zone, from which medicines are shipped to American and European soil.

“Cocaine from the Galapagos archipelago usually goes to famous sailing ships that arrive there, larger ocean fishing boats, and very often it happened and still happens that large ocean liners pick it up at an agreed time, at an agreed position at sea, at a distance of about 200 nautical miles from Galapagos. Fishing boats wait for large ships, moor next to them, while the ship’s crew uses the ship’s cranes to load the cargo very quickly. Usually, waterproof packages are placed in the so-called jumbo bags, up to a ton, which the ship’s crane lifts to the main deck in a few minutes. If it is a larger quantity and a container ship (as in the case of “MSC Gayane”), that cargo is divided and taken to predetermined containers, with a known and established destination in advance,” he said.

10.8

In recent days, tons of cocaine have been seized in three operations by the security forces of several South American countries and Spain

He pointed out that the port of Guayaquil is Ecuador’s main export port for narcotics.

“The port is famous for exporting bananas. This is precisely the port from which many Balkan traders, including Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, order the famous banana containers in which you can often find everything. Ecuador is a poor country, so the so-called ‘port services’ or ‘transit transport services’ are very beneficial. When it comes to moving goods to the Galapagos, it is done by local fishermen who are often forced to earn this kind of income, due to great poverty. Transport to the Galapagos takes three to four days and costs several thousand dollars. “Cocaine is usually transported hidden in fishing barrels or under the deck,” he said.

COCAINE “ON” SVUDA

The latest operation, which saw the seizure of 4.5 tons of cocaine, came a day after six tons of drugs were seized in Brazil en route to Europe in an operation by the Federal Police and the Federal Tax Service.

The operation, codenamed “Looping,” involved about 150 federal agents and six tax inspectors. Their goal, they say, is to combat a criminal organization focused on transnational drug trafficking that operates in the ports of southeastern Brazil.

The authorities of that South American country managed to connect all the wires to track down the alleged organizers of that transnational drug cartel.

In the final phase of the investigation, searches were carried out in 27 locations, 12 arrest warrants were issued in 12 cities and the courts there ordered the seizure of assets, including 68 vehicles, six properties and the freezing of more than 30 bank accounts of members of the organization, the authorities said, subsequently referring them to the federal police.

A few days earlier, divers from the Spanish Guardia Civil and members of the Tax Authority seized a shipment of 289 kilograms of cocaine in Las Palmas, whose final destination was the port of Koper in Slovenia. The drugs were transported by merchant ship and were hidden in the inlet for cooling, in 12 waterproof bags secured with ropes.

The source of “Vijesti” of the security service then said that this shipment was also related to the Balkan cartel, but that for the time being he could not provide further details due to the further investigation. The same interlocutor explained that the authorities continue to carry out the necessary investigative actions in the operation called “Pride of the South”, in order to determine the identity of those responsible for the transportation of drugs, as well as those responsible for seizing them.

Yesterday, the same interlocutor told “Vijesta” that it was only in August, with large seizures of cocaine and arrests, that a heavy blow was dealt to the transnational drug cartels.

He explained that with these seizures, Maltene has taken hundreds of millions of euros and dollars out of the hands of drug cartels.

“Some of those drugs were also part of the Balkan cartel, which operates all over the world. They participate in this illegal trade with money, that is, by acquiring part of the drugs and recruiting the crew, but also by creating the conditions for smuggling. The starting point, as always, is the country of origin where they have their bases, and they distribute it throughout Europe. “Although they are trying to change the routes, smuggling models and the ships they use, the security forces are determined to tackle them,” he said.

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