Europol and Ecuadorian authorities disrupt major cocaine network, seize over 43 tonnes in 2022–26 probe

Europol said Friday that European and Ecuadorian authorities had disrupted a major cocaine-trafficking network after a joint investigation spanning 2022 to 2026, seizing more than 43 tonnes of cocaine in operations tied to container shipments from Ecuador to Europe. In a post on Bluesky on Oct. 9, Europol said: “European and Ecuadorian authorities have disrupted a major cocaine trafficking network after years of joint investigation, seizing over 43 tonnes of cocaine in 13 operations between 2022 and 2026.”

Spanish media reports published before Europol’s post, citing a Spanish National Police press note, gave slightly different figures. Those reports said about 42.5 tonnes of cocaine were seized across 14 shipments or confiscations, and that 21 people were arrested. Europol’s public statement did not, in the material cited here, give an arrest total. The discrepancy between 13 operations and 14 shipments, and between “over 43 tonnes” and about 42.5 tonnes, was not immediately explained.

Police-linked reporting described the organization as based in Ecuador and linked to shipments sent to Spain and other European destinations including Belgium, Portugal and the Netherlands. Some reports also mentioned links to the United Arab Emirates. Investigators said the network used legitimate export companies in Ecuador as cover, hiding cocaine in containerized commercial cargo such as bananas, seafood, cacao and wood. Spanish reporting said investigators identified about 15 Ecuador-based export companies allegedly used as fronts or cover for the exports.

The wider investigation was reported to have been triggered by a major seizure at the Spanish port of Algeciras in October 2024. According to the police-linked reports, authorities found about 13,062 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a banana shipment from Ecuador. Those reports described it as the largest single cocaine seizure in Spain at the time, making it a key breakthrough in the broader case.

The case underscores Ecuador’s growing role as a departure point for containerized cocaine shipments to Europe, particularly through legitimate export cargoes. Europol and the European Union’s drug-monitoring bodies have for several years pointed to commercial trade routes as a major vulnerability, with traffickers concealing drugs in otherwise lawful shipments moving through large ports in Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal.

That helps explain the significance of the joint action highlighted by Europol on Friday. The seizures were spread across multiple years and jurisdictions, reflecting how cocaine trafficking into Europe often depends on cross-border logistics, front companies and access to major maritime shipping routes. In that context, cooperation between European investigators and authorities in Ecuador is central to disrupting networks at the point of export as well as at destination ports.

Spanish reporting has also linked the wider case to the earlier arrest and prosecution of Óscar Sánchez, described as a former senior Spanish police official; those reports said investigators found about 20 million euros hidden in the walls of his home and office.