Ecuadorian police found 2.4 tons of cocaine in a banana container heading to Belgium

Ecuadorian police seized 2.4 tons of cocaine that was hidden in a container of processed bananas that were to be sent to Belgium, the Ministry of the Interior announced. The alkaloid would be valued at $5 million locally and $92 million abroad, according to police sources.

During the control procedures, anti-drug personnel separated the cargo for inspection and when examined with the help of a trained dog, they found 31 sacks labeled with the emblem of a stuffed animal hidden in plastic bags. In these packages, 2,461 packages of cocaine were kept. The institution said on its Twitter account that its dog Iro sniffed the shipment that allowed the seizure of the 2.4 tons of cocaine, last Sunday.

The discovery occurred while inspecting a shipment of processed bananas that was being prepared for export from a port in Guayaquil, southwest of Quito, with access to the Pacific Ocean. One person was arrested after the operation. He is the legal representative of a chifle manufacturing company (a frying made with bananas and served as a garnish or as a snack in Ecuador). The packs of cocaine were hidden in the chifle bags. The chifles company is domiciled in Guayaquil.

The drug was packed in 2,461 wrappers, hidden in cartons of bananas, which is one of Ecuador's most important agricultural export products. A total of 24 million doses were prevented from reaching their destinations in international markets after landing in Antwerp in Belgium, according to the Ecuadorian National Police.

So far in 2022, 34 tons of alkaloids have been seized, while in the same period in 2021 18 tons were sequestered, which represents almost half of it. By sea alone, 25 tons have been seized, double the 12 recorded at the same time last year.

The National Police also discovered a warehouse for stockpiling drugs in the Santa Martha 1 area, south of Guayaquil. 150 packages of cocaine were found, in addition to a drone, two guns, three signal inhibitors, ammunition, handguns and scales. An Ecuadorian citizen was arrested.

Ecuador is located geographically between Colombia and Peru. Today, however, production in Colombia and Peru is residual in the region, according to the International Consortium on Drug Policy (IDPC). Production in Mexico and Guatemala has increased in recent years and leads the regional figures.

Ecuador faces massive drug trafficking and drug-related violence. The country closed last year with a death toll of 14 per 100,000 inhabitants, which is almost double compared to 2020.

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