Joint Spanish-Ecuadorian police operation leads to seizure of 21 tons of cocaine and 44 arrests

An 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 tons of cocaine. The cocaine was seized at ports in Malaga, Algeciras and Valencia.

According to Europol, most of the cocaine seized in Spanish ports arrived from Ecuador in containers of bananas.

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.

A spokesman for the Guardia Civil said it is working with the government of Ecuador to improve inspections at the ports of Guayaquil and Machala. It is also advising major banana exporters, Favorita Fruit Company, the Noboa Trading Group and the Dole Food Company, on strategies to protect shipping containers from drug smugglers, he said.

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.

EU and United Nations drug control agencies estimate that about 70% of cocaine arriving in Europe is shipped from ports in Ecuador.