Joint Spain-Ecuador Operation Dismantles Cocaine Ring, Seizes 21 Tons
Spanish and Ecuadorian authorities arrested 44 people and seized 21 tons of cocaine after a multi-year probe into a Dubai-financed smuggling network.
A coordinated investigation between Spain’s Civil Guard, Ecuador’s National Police and Europol culminated in 44 arrests and the confiscation of 21 tons of cocaine. The operation traced a drug-trafficking ring funded by investors in Dubai that moved shipments from South America to Spain inside standard containers. Ecuadorian forces launched the first wave in March 2025, apprehending 36 suspects and searching about 50 properties.
Spanish raids later captured eight additional suspects and recovered €1 million. Authorities noted that the smugglers hid the cocaine among legitimate goods, frequently disguising it within banana exports from the port of Guayaquil.
Why it matters
The bust disrupts a major trans-Atlantic cocaine pipeline and highlights international law-enforcement collaboration.
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