Ecuadorian security forces, working with the US Military’s Southern Command and the Drug Enforcement Administration, carried out large-scale operations against major drug trafficking groups, authorities said Wednesday.
The operations, known as Operation Factoria and Operation Jerico, focused on criminal networks connected to Los Lobos and Los Choneros across six Ecuadorian provinces: Guayas, Santo Domingo, El Oro, Los Rios, Manabi and Esmeraldas.
Ecuador’s National Police chief Gen. Pablo Vinicio Davila said 36 simultaneous raids led to the arrest of 43 suspected cartel members, including two important targets known by the aliases “CC” and “Leon.”
Interior Minister John Reimberg said two of those arrested were Mexican nationals allegedly working as pilots for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, transporting cocaine toward Mexico and the United States.
Authorities also destroyed two illegal airstrips believed to have been used for international drug trafficking. Security forces seized an aircraft, 21 vehicles, aviation fuel, mobile phones, communications equipment, weapons, ammunition, protective vests, cash, cocaine and synthetic drugs.
The campaign was jointly coordinated by Ecuador’s State Attorney General’s Office, the DEA and SOUTHCOM. SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis Donovan praised the results, describing the operation as a major success and an important victory against organized crime in the region.
The raids represent one of the largest recent counter-narcotics operations carried out jointly by Ecuador and the United States. The campaign comes after the US government designated Los Lobos, Los Choneros and the Chone Killers as foreign terrorist organizations, allowing greater intelligence cooperation and coordinated efforts to disrupt their drug trafficking networks.
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