Ecuador and Spanish Authorities Seize 5.5 Metric Tons of Cocaine in Massive Drug Bust

Ecuadorean and Spanish police collaborated in a massive drug bust on May 11, seizing more than 5.5 metric tons of cocaine off the coast of Ecuador’s Santa Elena province.This footage shows scenes from the operation, known as “Marine Cyclone,” as well as a press conference by Milton Zarate, director of Ecuador’s National Police.According to a press release issued by Ecuador’s Ministry of Interior, the drug-running ship was filled with Colombian cocaine and was en route to Spain via the Panama Canal. The cocaine was hidden inside compartments within the boat that were flooded with water to prevent it from being found.Two dozen people were detained, according to a tweet from Juan Ignacio Zoido, Spain’s Minister of the Interior, who called the operation “one of the largest seizures of cocaine in history and the dismantling of a large drug tafficking organization between South America and Spain.”