Joint Spain-Ecuador operation seizes 21 tonnes of cocaine and arrests 44 suspects

A long-running international investigation involving Spanish and Ecuadorian authorities has dismantled a major cocaine trafficking organisation, leading to the arrest of 44 suspects and the seizure of 21 tonnes of cocaine.

Spain’s Guardia Civil announced on Wednesday that the operation, carried out in collaboration with Ecuador’s National Police and coordinated by Europol, targeted a sophisticated criminal network that smuggled cocaine from South America into Spain concealed inside commercial shipping containers.

Investigators said the organisation was backed financially by investors based in Dubai and used legitimate cargo shipments to transport the drugs across the Atlantic. Most of the shipments originated from Ecuador’s main Pacific port of Guayaquil before being sent to Europe.

The investigation first produced results in March 2025, when Ecuadorian police arrested 36 suspects during a series of coordinated raids on around 50 properties across the country.

The operation later expanded to Spain, where Guardia Civil officers arrested a further eight suspects during searches of several properties. Officers also seized approximately €1 million in cash during the raids.

Authorities said the traffickers concealed cocaine within legitimate commercial exports to avoid detection. Ecuador has become a key departure point for cocaine shipments destined for Europe, with criminal groups frequently hiding the drug among export goods, particularly banana consignments.

Officials described the investigation as the result of close international cooperation between law enforcement agencies in Spain, Ecuador and Europol, bringing down a transnational network responsible for moving large quantities of cocaine from South America into the European market.