Ecuador claims to have seized 187.3 tons of drugs in 2024

Ecuadorian police officers during an arrest, August 2024 Photo: @PoliciaEcuador

August 26, 2024 Time: 7:50 PM

Ecuador has seized 187.3 tons of drugs so far this year, 23% more than in the same period in 2023, when the quantity seized was 152.6 tons, Interior Minister Monica Palencia reported Monday.

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During the same period, violence in the country fell by 17%, the official said at a news conference of the so-called Security Bloc, which consists of the government, police and armed forces to combat and reduce organized crime in the country.

Palencia explained that the number of intentional homicides in Ecuador rose from 4,942 to 4,111 during that period. He noted that nine out of 10 of these crimes are linked to criminal gangs.

Defense Minister Giancarlo Loffredo reported on some of the most recent operations carried out in the country, which have seen the arrest of several people, including alias “Alan,” the alleged leader of the criminal group “Las Águilas,” plus 31 gang members.

#URGENT ||

APREHENDIMOS 31 INTEGRANTES DE LAS ÁGUILAS ENTRE ELLOS SU CABECILLA ALIAS “ALAN o “AA”

This is an impenetrable place in the town of Los Troncos, Milagro #Guayasdonde fueron aprehendidos 31 integrantes del group armado organizado “Las Águilas”,… photo.twitter.com/8rojImYTfe

— Policia Ecuador (@PoliciaEcuador) August 24, 2024

He also mentioned the ‘Gran Golpe’ operation, in which 4.5 tons of drugs were seized in an operation carried out on the high seas and in which the goods were intercepted in the so-called ‘Ruta del Desierto’, “historically used by drug traffickers”, according to Loffredo, who did not go into details about the type of narcotic.

With this seizure, 42 tons have already been seized at sea this year, which according to the minister means $840 million less for the ‘criminal mafia’.

The official reiterated that “it is a popular cry for tougher punishment for criminals.”

On the other hand, the police commander, Victor Zarate, stated that so far 9 of the 18 targets identified by the security services and considered of high value (top managers of criminal organizations) are in pre-trial detention.

Of the 238 mid-level soldiers, Zarate reported that 134 were captured.

Regarding the results at the national level, the Commander referred once again to the 187 tons of drugs seized that Minister Palencia mentioned, but also to the more than $5 million in cash, 10,000 mobile phones, 7,282 firearms and 308,000 rounds of ammunition.

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