Among the products found are more than 17.3 million foreign cigarettes, 298 bundles of clothing, 33,600 masks
Several raids in the province of Guayas concluded with the seizure of contraband merchandise worth close to 7 million dollars, the National Customs Service of Ecuador (Senae) reported on Monday.
According to a statement from the customs authority, the search was the result of the search of 16 warehouses in the town of Daule, between last Friday and Sunday, as part of “urgent acts” carried out in conjunction with the Attorney General’s Office. State.
The products found include more than 17.3 million foreign cigarettes, 298 bundles of clothing, 33,600 KN95-type masks, televisions and other household appliances.
According to the authorities, it is the “operation with the greatest impact in recent years” in terms of seizing “prohibited import goods.”
The Senae explained that the products will be transferred to their warehouses to continue with the “pertinent procedures”.
These actions are part of the so-called “Plan Rescate Ecuador”, which is developed in compliance with the state of exception declared by the Ecuadorian president, Guillermo Lasso, to combat crime.
According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Cepal), Ecuador annually loses about 7.6 billion dollars due to taxes that are no longer collected. Of these, 26% corresponds to smuggling, that is, about 2,000 million dollars.
The security forces have carried out more than 40,000 operations in the province of Guayas, of which Guayaquil is the capital, within the framework of the state of exception that has prevailed in various districts of Ecuador since last October 19 to combat crime, reported the local authorities.
The declaration of exception issued by President Lasso is limited to the provinces of El Oro, Guayas, Santa Elena, Manabí, Los Ríos, Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Pichincha and Sucumbíos, and will include a maximum period of 30 days, according to an opinion of the Constitutional Court. (I)
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