It was well worth a tweet. “Record seizure in 2023 of more than eight tons of cocaine”, wrote on his Twitter account, Sunday, February 26, General Fausto Salinas, commander of the Ecuadorian police.
A total of around 8.8 tons of cocaine hidden between bananas in a container bound for Belgium in the port of Guayaquil were seized.
“We prevented [the international sale of] 90 million doses, worth 330 million dollars [about 312 million euros] in Europe,” said Mr. Salinas, releasing a video showing the lined up merchandise. On the ground.
Since the beginning of the year, 31 tonnes seized
Located between Colombia and Peru – the world’s main cocaine producers – Ecuador seized a record amount of the drug in 2021: around 210 tons bound for European ports.
In 2022, seizures exceeded 200 tonnes – 61% of which were hidden among bananas destined for export. Since the beginning of 2023, they have reached 31 tons in total.
