Europol supports operation leading to 12 arrests in Ecuador

An action day conducted last night in Ecuador marks another milestone in the fight against criminal networks trafficking cocaine from South America to Europe. Belgian law enforcement authorities together with their colleagues from the Ecuadorian National Police performed two waves of arrests and seized over 9.3 tonnes of cocaine over the course of the investigation. In total, the multi-phase operation, supported by Europol, led to 26 arrests across several countries.

The targeted criminal network used private security companies as fronts to recruit individuals already linked to their criminal structure. This allowed them to place trusted personnel in Ecuador’s key ports, which remain critical nodes for cocaine trafficking operations. In addition, the network used these private security companies to acquire armoured vehicles and firearms, which were subsequently diverted to local criminal groups across Ecuador. These groups are perpetuating widespread violence and violent deaths, driven by territorial disputes over drug trafficking routes.

Waves of arrests and seizure after seizure
Europol supported an investigation launched by Belgian authorities already in 2020. During the first operational phase on 22 April 2020 in Belgium, 14 suspects were arrested and 4.6 tonnes of cocaine as well as 10 firearms seized by the Belgian Federal Police.

The most recent operational phase took place this week on 3 September 2025 in the area of Guayaquil, Ecuador. 12 targeted suspects (11 Ecuadorians and 1 Serbian) were taken into custody and over 21 home searches conducted. Law enforcement officers seized 3 armoured vehicles, USD 27 000 in cash, 5 firearms and 7 electronic devices during the raids.

This years-long investigation is based on information retrieved from the Sky ECC encrypted communications platform. Over the past years, law enforcement authorities dealt a series of heavy blows to the criminal network, with over 9 344 kilograms of cocaine seized in 11 instances. This includes seven raids with a total seizure of 4 125 kilograms in Ecuador, one large seizure of 4 600 kilograms in Belgium and three seizures of a total of 619 kilograms in the Netherlands.

Less than a year ago, Europol supported a hit against a Western Balkans-based criminal group, in line with its strategy to strategically disrupt drug trafficking networks and their supply chains affecting the European Union. The network taken down in Ecuador this week is believed to have supplied cocaine to the suspects arrested in this prior action, which underlines law enforcement’s interconnected approach.

Close cooperation across oceans
This success would not have been achievable without the close and trusted cooperation between EU and Latin American law enforcement. Europol provided analytical support and facilitated the exchange of information between Belgium and Ecuador. Europol’s dedicated Operational Taskforce funded the deployment of Ecuadorian colleagues to Europol’s headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands.