Europol has supported law enforcement agencies from Spain (Guardia Civil, National Police / Policía Nacional) and Ecuador (Federal Police / Policía Federal de Ecuador) in a major operation targeting a criminal network involved in large-scale cocaine trafficking from Latin America to Europe. The action day took place on 8 October 2026 and resulted in the arrest of 20 suspects across multiple locations in Ecuador, and the search of 23 properties.

The operation, codenamed Operation CANTABRIA, underscores the success of strong cooperation between European and Ecuadorian law enforcement agencies, proving that joint efforts are key to tackling transnational criminal networks.

Magnus Brunner

EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration

“International cooperation is our greatest strength against drug trafficking. Criminal networks know no borders, and neither can our response. This operation shows what we can achieve by working together: 43 tonnes seized and a major trafficking route into Europe disrupted. Every shipment we stop helps protect our communities from violence and harm”. 

Cocaine trafficking: routes targeted

Ecuador’s proximity to cocaine production zones, its robust export sector — particularly tropical fruit shipments to Europe— and its major commercial ports handling heavy container traffic, have made the country a strategic export hub for large-scale cocaine shipments destined for international markets.

The criminal network exploited global trade by concealing shipments within commercial freight cargo, taking advantage of the massive volume of maritime trade to avoid detection. Ecuador served as a pivotal exit point due to its proximity to Colombia, the world’s leading cocaine producer. To bypass police and customs inspections, the network operated under the guise of tropical fruit import-export companies.

The investigation also revealed that the suspects maintained strategic bases in Peru and major European logistics hubs, including ports in Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands, while also establishing operational links in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Europol-Ecuador: a win for global security

During the investigation, two Ecuadorian officers were deployed to Europol’s headquarters in The Hague. There, they worked closely with Member States and Europol gathering intelligence, facilitating information sharing, performing data analysis, and supporting investigators on the ground. 

Cooperation between Europol and European and Ecuadorian authorities has proven extremely successful. By joining forces, law enforcement has managed to expose and undermine the criminal network after years of joint investigation. The efforts paid off, leading to the seizure of over 43 tonnes of cocaine in 13 major operations conducted between 2022 and 2026, including Operation CANTABRIA. Some of these seizures were detected through Sky ECC data.

For example, in December 2020, Dutch authorities intercepted two banana container shipments from Ecuador containing nearly 4 tonnes of cocaine. A few months later, law enforcement in Ecuador stopped a shipment carrying over 2 tonnes of cocaine bound for ports in Belgium. In 2023 and 2024 alone, authorities seized over 35 tonnes of cocaine, including a historic 13-tonne seizure in Spain.

Operation CANTABRIA was supported by EL PACCTO 2.0, the European Union’s cooperation programme with Latin America and the Caribbean against transnational organised crime, which works to strengthen cooperation in the fields of security and justice.