Ecuador police destroy over 20 metric tons of cocaine


  • World
  • Friday, 26 Jan 2024

Ecuadorean authorities move drug packages as part of the more than 20 tons of seized drugs to be destroyed at an undisclosed location in Ecuador January 25 2024. Secretaria General de Comunicacion de la Presidencia del Ecuador SEGCOMHandout via REUTERS

Ecuadorean authorities move drug packages, as part of the more than 20 tons of seized drugs to be destroyed at an undisclosed location, in Ecuador January 25, 2024. Secretaria General de Comunicacion de la Presidencia del Ecuador (SEGCOM)/Handout via REUTERS

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuadorean Police on Thursday destroyed some 21.5 metric tons of cocaine which they seized over the weekend as part of a military offensive declared by the government to combat organized crime.

The drugs were found on Sunday stored in hundreds of blocks in storage space built under a pig farm located in the city of Vinces, officials said. One person was arrested at the scene.

Authorities used a technique known as encapsulation to destroy the drug, pulverizing the seized blocks with waste before mixing the resulting fine powder with cement, sand and glass.

The method prevents cocaine from contaminating the environment or being recovered, authorities say.

(Reporting by Tito Correa and Karen Toro; Writing by Oliver Griffin; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Others Also Read


All Headlines:

Want to listen to full audio?

Unlock unlimited access to enjoy personalise features on the TheStar.com.my

Already a member? Log In