A joint anti-drug operation between Colombia and Ecuador led to the seizure of two semi-submersibles loaded with drugs this weekend, the two countries announced. On Sunday, the Colombian Navy said in a statement “First semi-submersible of the year” in the country. A fifteen-meter long vessel was intercepted near the port of Buenaventura (West) in the Pacific Ocean and was carrying 795 kg of cocaine. Three people on board were arrested.
On Saturday, Ecuador’s armed forces announced the seizure of another semi-submersible, also sailing in the Pacific, carrying nearly three tons of cocaine. The craft was also gray in color and measured fifteen meters long. It was captured about sixty kilometers off the coast of Esmeraldas (northwest Ecuador) and the three Colombians on board were arrested.
According to a statement from the Ecuadorian army, the operation was carried out in cooperation with the Ecuadorian police and the Colombian navy. According to a United Nations report, 2022 was a record year for cocaine production in Colombia. Coca leaf cultivation increased by 13% to 230,000 hectares of crops. Although it does not produce cocaine, Ecuador has become one of the main drug crossing points on the continent, leading to an explosion in crime.
