Belgian home minister Annelies Verlinden (Flemish Christian democrat) is accompanying European commissioner for home affairs Ylva Johansson to Ecuador and Colombia on a trip intended to step up cooperation between Belgium, the EU and the two Latin American countries in the fight against drugs trafficking. During the first day of the Belgian’s visit a massive cache of cocaine bound for Belgium was intercepted.
Ms Verlinden and Ms Johansson are visiting the port of Guayaquil in Ecuador. The home minister is also signing a new cooperation agreement with Ecuador aimed at clamping down on organised crime.
Commissioner Johansson is announcing a trial involving the EU, Ecuador and Colombia involving closer police co-operation and information exchange.
Yesterday Ecuadorian police seized 8.8 tons of cocaine hidden in a container of bananas bound for Belgium. “For 2023 this is a record haul” says police commissioner Salinas Samaniego: “We’ve prevented the sale of 90 million doses worth 330 million US dollars on the international market”.