CRIME & LAW

Ecuador Navy Battles Drug Submarines as Cartels Adapt

At a Guayaquil naval base, Ecuador's coast guard commander surveyed a seized smuggling submarine, weary after years of interdictions that barely dent the cocaine flow. Ecuador has captured about a dozen fully and semi-submersibles in 15 years, even as U.S. authorities say only a tiny fraction are caught worldwide. Cartels now field long-range, modified craft that dodge thermal imaging and can reach Europe, Africa and Australia. With 70 percent of the world's cocaine moving through Ecuador, Los Lobos controls the base's bordering neighborhood; last month, the U.S. designated the group a terrorist organization.

Reviewed by JQJO team

#drugs #smuggling #ecuador #naval #crime