Cocaine trafficking charges name Ecuador figures in tuna-container shipments to US and Europe

US federal prosecutors in New York City said five Ecuadorians were charged with moving tonnes of cocaine. Prosecutors said the drugs went to the United States and Europe. The group allegedly hid cocaine inside shipping containers carrying tuna. The US attorney’s office announced the case on Thursday.

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US Attorney Jamie McDonald said the defendants helped make Ecuador a major transit route. McDonald said most cocaine bound for the US and Europe moved through Ecuador. McDonald also said the new charges were meant to target corruption and trafficking. Violence in Ecuador has risen in recent years.

Ecuador cocaine trafficking charges linked to tuna containers

Prosecutors said Medranda, 41, and Bonilla, 71, used a seafood business for exports. Investigators said drug traffickers used those shipments to move cocaine. The indictment said containers also carried lawful cargo, including tuna. Prosecutors said the method helped send large quantities out of Ecuador.

According to the grand jury indictment, Jacobo Abdala Bucaram-Pulley, 48, was among the traffickers. Prosecutors said Bucaram-Pulley also acted as an intermediary for other shipments. Menendez, 53, and Lopez, 47, allegedly worked as representatives for Medranda and Bonilla. Court records listed no lawyers for any defendant.

Ecuador cocaine trafficking case names political figures

Prosecutors said Bucaram-Pulley is the son of Abdalá Bucaram. Abdalá Bucaram was elected president of Ecuador in 1996. Congress removed Abdalá Bucaram in under six months for mental incapacity. Abdalá Bucaram faced allegations of corruption and nepotism during that period.

Prosecutors said Jaime Estrada Medranda earlier served in Ecuador’s National Assembly. The news release also listed the other defendants as Jaime Estrada Bonilla and Geovanny Fernandez Menendez. William Jose Briones Lopez was also named. Prosecutors said Medranda and Bucaram-Pulley were arrested this month.

Ecuador cocaine trafficking arrests and regional security backdrop

Prosecutors said Bucaram-Pulley was arrested in Ecuador. Prosecutors said Medranda was arrested while travelling in Panama. Ecuador has faced difficulty limiting drug violence. Rival cartels have partnered with local gangs to control coastal ports. Those routes are used for cocaine smuggling.

Ecuador sits between Colombia and Peru, the leading cocaine-producing countries. The Trump administration reached agreements with Ecuador and other Latin American states. Those deals covered joint military operations against criminal groups. The administration also kept the right to unilaterally bomb vessels suspected of drug trafficking.

All five defendants were charged with conspiring to import cocaine, prosecutors said. They were also charged with possessing machine guns and conspiring to possess machine guns. Prosecutors said the case aimed to weaken networks linking trafficking and political influence. The announcement gave no further details on court dates.

With inputs from PTI