Cocaine in particular: a new way to destroy drugs in Ecuador

The process is called potting and consists of pulverizing bricks of cocaine hydrochloride into tiny grains using heavy machinery. The powdered cocaine is then mixed with cement, salt, and chemical accelerators, among other materials, to form a slurry.

The fluid mix is ​​poured into molds to form concrete blocks. It is then left to dry for a few hours, before completely hardening. With this, it is impossible to extract the cocaine from the solid blocks of the material.

Ecuador seized 201 tons of drugs in 2022; seizures at ports increased 42%

That explanation was made Edmundo Mera, Undersecretary for Drug Control of the Ministry of the Interior, during an interview with InSightCrime.

This is a way that the Ecuadorian Government has devised to destroy confiscated substances quickly and safely. The novel technique has destroyed hundreds of tons of cocaine seized annually.

Only until October 14, 2022, the country had destroyed almost 180 tons of drugs. 61% of what was seized this year was destroyed using the encapsulation technique, Mera said.

In fact, Ecuador is the first country that does it on a large scale, which makes it a pioneer, according to Martin Raithelhuber, an expert on illicit synthetic drugs for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

They seize more than three tons of drugs in Manabí

For this activity, the State Ministry hired environmental managers to supervise the process, from the mixing of drugs and cement to the final disposal of the molds and encapsulation facilities located outside populated areas, Mera said.

Potting is a technique recommended by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime as a a viable way to dispose of drugs and toxic materials used in drug processing.

Meanwhile, the Undersecretary for Drug Control of the Ministry of the Interior revealed that encapsulation allows the destruction of 1,500 kilos per hour, while incineration is limited to 70 kilos per hour of the same substances. (YO)