Ecuador disrupts illegal mining and logging networks
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Ecuadorian authorities harmed criminal networks financially through tactical operations in the Amazon provinces of Napo, Pastaza, and Morona Santiago.
Police targeted illegal mining, unauthorized hydrocarbon sales, and illegal logging, causing an estimated $511,200 in losses to criminal groups. The operations focused on destroying equipment used for extraction. Officers destroyed four dredges, disabled two excavators, a sediment classifier, and a mining tunnel. Authorities also seized equipment including a flatbed truck, water pumps, and 20 meters of hosing used in illegal mining.
The operations took place across four areas. Misahuallí in Napo, Arajuno and Shell in Pastaza, and Macuma in Morona Santiago, where organized armed groups were exploiting land and natural resources. In addition to damaging mining equipment, the authorities confiscated 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel stored in four bulk tanks and seized a .38 caliber revolver found in illegal camps.
Police also intercepted a truck transporting 20 cubic meters of illegally logged wood, further disrupting the financial activities of these criminal networks in the Amazon region.
