The Ecuadorian Navy has carried out the first major anti-drug operation in the mandate of the moderate Daniel Noboa, who assumed power this Thursday minutes before the military operation. In an operation carried out in San Cristobal, 150 miles south of Galapagos Islands, his men intercepted and captured a narcosubmarino, almost 15 meters long, inside which they hid 178 packages of cocaine, around five tons of drugs.
The drug, whose destination was Central America y USA, and the foreigners traveling inside were handed over to the Police. Ecuador has become the epicenter of drug trafficking in the Americas and its ports are the main cocaine shuttles to the US and Europa, despite the boom in fentanyl. At the time of the arrest, the semi-submersible, which was barely protruding from the surface, was sailing at water level.
In another military operation carried out in August, they seized almost two tons of cocaine. The authorities have even detected arms trafficking in these Pacific sea lanes. Last week they seized 122 long-range rifles on a boat and 48 pistolas Glock.
These semi-submersibles are a big deal for Mexican cartels, like the Sinaloa y Jalisco New Generation, that operate in Ecuador allied to the powerful gangs of The Choneros, los Chonekillers, Los Lobos o The Tiguerones. Experts estimate that their price is between one million and two million dollars, for which when they reach their destination they are sunk. The price of their shipments ranges between 100 and 200 million dollars. So far this year, 25 tons of cocaine have already been seized near the Galapagos Islands, World Heritage and the second largest marine reserve on the planet.
Narcosubmarines are one of the most peculiar tools used in principle by Colombian traffickers, who even dare to cross the Atlantic. In 2019, Spanish authorities discovered a submersible in Galician waters with 3 tons of cocaine inside. His name was Che, he started from Brazil and today it is exhibited in the National Police School in Ávila.