Ecuador: Police destroy the largest drug stash seized in its history

Ecuadorian authorities destroyed the largest stash of drugs seized in the country to date. Police reported that they found around 21.5 tons of cocaine in a warehouse located in the city of Vinces (Los Ríos province) along with several firearms, some of them assault weapons. A person who was guarding the material and narcotics was arrested.

The Ministry of the Interior of Ecuador posted a video on social media showing the drug destruction procedure, which was done with a method called encapsulation:

Encapsulation consists of breaking down the drug - in this case, cocaine - and subsequently mixing it with sand or cement, two components capable of eliminating the properties of narcotics.

One of Daniel Noboa's main priorities is to end drug trafficking and organized crime in Ecuador, as he declared on several occasions during his presidential campaign. As soon as he took office in November 2023, he repealed what is known as the drug possession table, a resource established by former President Rafael Correa that specified the quantities of narcotics that any citizen could possess as long as it was for personal consumption.