Ecuador police destroy more than 20 tons of cocaine by pulverizing the drug and mixing the powder with cement, sand and glass

A historic cocaine bust by the Ecuadorean military was destroyed Thursday as part of the government’s war against drug trafficking organizations.

At least 150 soldiers participated in a raid Sunday at pig farm in the western city of Vinces, where a criminal network kept 21 kilos of cocaine inside hundreds of bales at a storage unit that was built under the property.

The military initially searched an underground hideout where they located 10 kilos that contained stickers of automaker Toyota and airline carriers Qatar, KLM, Iberia and Jet 2.

The servicemen canvassed the area until they located a sewer duct, where another 12 kilos of cocaine were stored.

Ecuador's military seized the largest shipment of cocaine ever - a total of 22 kilos - following a raid at a pig farm in the western city of Vinces on Sunday. The drugs were stored in large bales that were hidden in underground storage units built under the property. 

Ecuadorean officials analyzed packages of kilos of cocaine before they were destroyed Thursday

The soldiers also confiscated 12 military-style rifles and 5,000 rounds of ammunition.

The massive cocaine shipment was transferred to a base in in Quito where authorities utilized an encapsulation method that included crushing the drugs and then mixing it with cement, sand and glass.

The technique prevented the cocaine from contaminating the environment or being recovered.

National Police commander general César Zapata said in a press conference Tuesday that the farm where the cocaine load found is owned by a businessman who owns several properties in the area.

Ecuadorean officials have been unable to identify the criminal organization that owned the 22 kilos of cocaine that were seized by the military Sunday. The drugs contained logos of airline carriers and automakers

Authorities separate packages containing cocaine before they were destroyed in Quito, Ecuador on Thursday

Ecuadorean officials test the purity of cocaine seized Sunday in the western city of Vinces

Zapata added that the drugs were most likely going be smuggled via the Pacific Ocean and that they were bound for different destinations, including the United States, Europe and Asia.

Authorities have confiscated more than 30 kilos of cocaine in Ecuador in the first three weeks of 2024, more than double in the same period last year.

At least 550 kilos of cocaine have been confiscated in Ecuador in the last three years, according to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime.

Because it is located between Colombia and Peru, two of world’s largest producers of cocaine, Ecuador serves as a main hub for criminal organizations looking to smuggle drugs across the world.

The drug bust comes as President Daniel Noboa, who entered office in November, launched a military operation against criminal organizations that he designated as terrorists.

He initiated a 60-day state of emergency and nighttime curfew in efforts to curb lawlessness.

The escalating violence in the South American country, which saw gunmen storm a live TV broadcast early this month, comes as the economy is struggling to meet its domestic debt obligations, limiting its ability to borrow from overseas.