Three men were arrested during the operation.
During an operation that took several hours, Ecuadorian Navy personnel managed to stop a boat carrying drugs.
In the operation, 36 jute bags were found, which contained an average of 20 packages with cocaine. Along with the drug, three people were arrested.
The vessel was detected about 130 nautical miles from Manta, in an area off the coast of the Puerto López canton and border towns in the province of Santa Elena.
Cristian Fiallos, commander of the coast guard station located in Manta, said that the detection of the boat with the drugs was carried out since early Monday morning, but that after evading the controls for several hours, it was possible already in the afternoon of that day stop both the boat, named Ciguapa.
“Three citizens were apprehended and 36 packages were seized, in this way the Armed Forces reaffirm their commitment to the safety of the citizenry in every sense,” said Fiallos.
The weight of the drug ranges between 700 and 800 kilos, and its destination would be a North American country.
So far in 2021, the Navy has collaborated with other State entities and the support of countries like the United States in the capture of drugs. This has allowed the detection of about twelve tons in operations at sea and largely off the coast of Manabí.
Regarding the Ciguapa vessel, Fiallos indicated that there is no departure record and it is even presumed that it would be a cloned ship, so it was unknown where the crew would have departed from.
Anthony Padilla, the Manta prosecutor on duty, indicated that the three people will be investigated for the alleged crime of trafficking in substances subject to large-scale control.
He also indicated that of the three people detained, two are from the Jaramijó canton in Manabí and the rest reside in La Libertad, in the province of Santa Elena. (I)
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