ECUADOR-PRISON-RIOT
Members of the Ecuadorian Army stand guard outside a prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on September 29, 2021, after a riot occurred. - Ecuador declared on Wednesday a state of exception for the prison system, in crisis due to overpopulation and violence between drug gangs, after a riot that left more than 100 prisoners dead and 52 wounded. Photo by Fernando MENDEZ / AFP Photo by FERNANDO MENDEZ/AFP via Getty Images

The Ecuadorian police intercepted a total of 2.5 tons of cocaine in two separate operations and arrested five individuals running the drug shipments, authorities said.

According to Deutsche Welle, the first operation involved a ton of cocaine seized by the police in Ecuador bound for Europe, while the second operation intercepted a vessel that was allegedly being used to transport drugs by sea. Guayaquil law enforcement arrested five people behind the 1.5 tons of cocaine on a sailing boat that was headed to Chile on the same day.

One Metric Ton of Cocaine Seized in Guayaquil Port

The Ecuadorian police said that the anti-narcotics units in the southwestern city reported the discovery of a metric ton of cocaine in a container at the port of regional capital Guayaquil bound for Bulgaria.

Based on the Ecuadorian authorities, they seized the drugs on Saturday as part of an operation called "Matrix." The anti-narcotics chief from Zone 8 of the city, Manuel Gomez, said that the interception happened during a search at Guayaquil port.

The Ecuador police announced the details of the finds on their social media account.

The anti-narcotics officer said that a police dog drew attention to the substance in one of the containers in the port. After tests run in the substance found in the suspected container, they later confirmed that it tested positive, presumably, for cocaine.

Meanwhile, authorities in Ecuador have recently become aware of the ongoing drug shipments in Guayaquil port. The Ecuadorian authorities stated that the place is now being used as a new departure point for drugs like cocaine, the Ecuador news outlet El Comercio reported.

The drug shipments, which left the strategic point, often reach Europe via the Panama Canal.

Operation Jupiter Busts Drug Transport By Sea

The anti-narcotics chief revealed that the second operation, which was code-named "Jupiter," has raided a sailing boat through the coordination of the Ecuadorian Navy and the Colombian Police with personnel from the United States Coast Guard.

The multi-agency operation found out that the vessel was allegedly being used "to transport drugs by sea," said Gomez.

The police arrested two Ecuadorians, two Colombians and a Mexican in the raid. Gomez said that the arrested individuals were "allegedly responsible for the transport of approximately one and a half tons of cocaine."

Based on the authorities, Colombia is the main producer of cocaine in the region, with 212,000 hectares or about 524,000 acres dedicated to its production.

The Ecuadorian police will now transport the suspects and evidence to the United States, he reported.

"These results obtained will affect the coffers of organized criminals," added Gomez.

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Written by: Jess Smith

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