An international trafficking network linked to the seizure of more than 42 tonnes of cocaine has been dismantled in Ecuador.

The international investigation began after police discovered a record 13-tonne shipment hidden among bananas at the Port of Algeciras in Andalucia.

Twenty-one suspected members were arrested on October 8 for alleged drug trafficking and membership of a criminal organisation.

Police also carried out 23 searches, seizing 14 mobile phones and a vehicle.

The operation was conducted jointly by the Policia Nacional, the Ecuadorian authorities and Europol.

Investigators believe the organisation transported cocaine from Ecuador to Europe and the United Arab Emirates using shipping containers loaded with apparently legitimate products.

Record discovery in Algeciras

The investigation began in October 2024 after officers discovered more than 13 tonnes of cocaine hidden among bananas inside a container at the Port of Algeciras.

The shipment had arrived from Ecuador and represented the largest cocaine seizure ever made by the Policia Nacional at the time.

Evidence obtained following the discovery allowed detectives to identify a complex organisation allegedly responsible for acquiring, storing, transporting and distributing huge quantities of cocaine.

The group has since been connected to 14 separate seizures in Ecuador and European countries including Spain, Belgium, Portugal and the Netherlands.

Together, the shipments contained approximately 42.5 tonnes of cocaine, including 18 tonnes allegedly destined for Spain.

Cocaine hidden in bananas, seafood and timber

The organisation’s alleged leaders had reportedly established at least 15 companies involved in exporting bananas from Ecuador.

Investigators believe these businesses were used as a legal front for transporting cocaine inside maritime containers.

The network is suspected of operating since 2019 and concealing drugs among bananas, seafood, cocoa and timber to evade port inspections.

Its international collaborators allegedly arranged the purchase of cocaine from laboratories in Colombia, organised its transportation and ensured the shipments were received and distributed after arriving in Europe.

Links to Mocro Maffia and Balkan gangs

Members of the network allegedly used encrypted messaging applications to negotiate and coordinate operations with international criminal groups.

These included organisations linked to the Balkan mafia and the so-called Mocro Maffia.

The foreign groups are suspected of helping to receive the shipments and providing companies in destination countries that gave the trade an appearance of legitimacy.

Police identified the organisation’s alleged leader as an individual believed to have lived in the United Arab Emirates since 2023.

From there, he allegedly maintained contact with members of other international criminal networks.

Investigators are also examining possible connections to the so-called Nueva Junta del Narcotrafico, a transnational alliance whose members cooperate to control different stages of the cocaine trade.

Spanish police said the operation represented a major blow against an organisation that used legitimate businesses and international trade routes to move industrial quantities of cocaine around the world.