The Ecuadorian justice system on Sunday ordered preventive detention for three Colombian citizens arrested during an operation off the coast of Esmeraldas province (border with Colombia), during which a semi-submersible boat containing more than three tons of cocaine was found.
The Public Prosecution Service reported on its social network account X that it had filed charges “against three people of foreign nationality for alleged drug trafficking.”
“The judge has imposed preventive detention on them. They were traveling in a semi-submersible with 3.1 tonnes of cocaine when they were apprehended by the armed forces,” the message added.
On Saturday, the Joint Command of the Armed Forces indicated that Ecuador’s armed forces conducted naval operations in the morning in the area under their jurisdiction, in coordination with the Colombian Navy and the National Police.
The operation took place at a time when Ecuador is under a state of emergency, with a curfew and the declaration of an internal armed conflict against organized crime groups.
Last week there was a wave of attacks and violent actions attributed to these groups, including the kidnapping of police officers, murders, explosives, burning vehicles, riots in prisons with 200 hostages (already released) and the takeover of a television channel by thirteen armed hooded men, now detained.
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa has identified organized crime gangs as terrorist groups and belligerent non-state actors that must be neutralized by the armed forces, which are now responsible for the country’s security.
Source: El heraldo
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
