Ecuadorian police used explosives during a nighttime raid near Manta to seize more than 1.5 tonnes of cocaine, recovering 1,353 packets stored in 55 jute sacks and destroying the underground hide. Valuations of the haul differ—Interior Minister John Reimberg estimated it at over $64 million, while police put it at $45 million. The operation took place under recently imposed nighttime curfews aimed at dismantling organised-crime networks; authorities reported 150 arrests in the first two days.
Ecuador Police Use Explosives to Uncover 1.5+ Tonnes of Cocaine in Night Raid Near Manta
File Photo - Cocaine is seen on the tip of a pocket knife. (is associated with: «Police in Ecuador use explosives to seize 1.5 tons of cocaine») Marcus Brandt/dpa
Ecuadorian police recovered more than 1.5 tonnes of cocaine during a nighttime operation near the coastal city of Manta, Interior Minister John Reimberg said on X. Authorities used explosive charges to access and destroy an underground concealment where the drugs were hidden.
Operation Details
Officers recovered 1,353 packets of cocaine packed into 55 jute sacks. The hidden structure was completely demolished during the intervention to ensure the site could not be reused, Reimberg said.
Value And Impact
Estimates of the shipment's value differed: Reimberg placed the haul at more than $64 million, while a separate police statement assessed it at $45 million. Officials described the seizure as a "severe blow to the finances and criminal structures of the drug trade," emphasizing its significance for disrupting organised networks.
Context
The raid occurred amid nighttime curfews imposed in several Ecuadorian provinces as part of President Daniel Noboa's intensified campaign against organised crime. Reimberg told Teleamazonas that 150 people were arrested in the first two days after the curfews began.
Ecuador has increasingly served as a transit route for cocaine transported from neighbouring countries such as Colombia and Peru. Just under two weeks earlier, police seized more than 2 tonnes of cocaine at the port of Machala that had been concealed in banana crates bound for Sweden. In April, investigators at the Port of Hamburg discovered around €30 million ($34 million) worth of cocaine originating in Ecuador, packed into roughly 1,600 parcels inside a banana container.
Why It Matters: The combination of high-volume seizures and targeted operations under curfew signals a stepped-up effort by Ecuadorian authorities to disrupt international trafficking routes and the criminal groups that profit from them.
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