EU and Ecuador bust Los Lobos cocaine trafficking network using European ports

European and Ecuadorian authorities have dismantled a major cocaine trafficking network linked to the Los Lobos cartel that used European seaports and commercial maritime logistics to smuggle narcotics into the continent, The Maritime Telegraph reports. The criminal operation relied on legitimate cargo flows between Ecuador and Europe, hiding cocaine shipments inside containers moving through major port hubs.

 

The investigation ran for more than a year and involved law-enforcement agencies from Ecuador, Belgium and the Netherlands. The operation was coordinated by Europol with support from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Authorities seized around four tonnes of cocaine and arrested 16 suspects while exposing a wider corruption and money-laundering scheme connected to port operations.

 

According to Europol, traffickers mainly hid the drugs in refrigerated fruit containers. This method allowed them to blend shipments into routine container trade between Ecuador and large European ports.

 

Dutch ports played a key role in the investigation. In February 2025, authorities intercepted about 2.6 tonnes of cocaine at Vlissingen. Another 1.1-tonne shipment was seized in Rotterdam in June of the same year.

 

Investigators also discovered that the cartel worked closely with an Albanian trafficking group. Members of that organization reportedly traveled to Ecuador to coordinate shipments and manage logistics. After the cocaine arrived in Europe, the traffickers quickly divided the cargo and moved it through inland transport networks across several countries.

 

During coordinated raids, law enforcement officers seized four handguns, two rifles, roughly $810,000 in cash and several vehicles linked to the network’s financial and logistics operations.

 

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