The National Police of Ecuador arrested two individuals in the early hours of last Sunday at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito while they were attempting to transport two kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride destined for Havana.
The drugs were concealed inside boxes of hair care products—dyes and other hair items—distributed across two suitcases. , this was reported by the institution in an official statement regarding the anti-drug operation.
The two kilograms seized correspond to 21,023 doses and have an estimated value of 4,783 dollars in the Ecuadorian local market.
However, its price abroad exceeds $84,000, which highlights the profit margin that these networks generate towards the Caribbean.
The operation was called "Cubana 1" and "Cubano 2," and it was made possible thanks to the alert from the specialized dog "Bamby", part of the airport's anti-drug units. Chemical tests confirmed the nature of the substance.
The two detainees, described as foreign passengers, have been placed at the disposal of Ecuadorian judicial authorities. Their full identities have not been disclosed.
This operation is not an isolated incident. In November 2025, Ecuadorian authorities intercepted a shipment at the same airport in Quito containing 17,600 doses of cocaine concealed in powdered chocolate containers, also destined for Havana, valued at $52,800 in Cuba.
In July 2025, a Cuban citizen was arrested at Mariscal Sucre with 1.26 kg of cocaine hidden in cans of sardines, also destined for Cuba.
In December 2024, 964 grams disguised as natural supplements in capsules were seized while being transported from Guayaquil to Havana.
In February 2025, operation "Sirio XV" dismantled a network in Quito involving a Cuban arrested along with an Ecuadorian and a Venezuelan, seizing 74.3 kilograms of base cocaine.
The pattern that emerges from these cases suggests an expansion of drug trafficking towards Cuba as an emerging destination, driven in part by the rising domestic consumption on the island.
Cuban authorities have officially acknowledged the increase in synthetic drug use among young people, especially the so-called "químico" — a synthetic cannabinoid — with at least 40 variants circulating in Cuba and an onset age of use between 13 and 14 years.
The economic crisis that the island has endured under 67 years of communist dictatorship also drives some citizens to get involved in these networks, either as mules or as shipment coordinators, according to the pattern documented in previous cases.
The regime has declared a "zero tolerance" policy and created the National Drug Observatory, although the effectiveness of these measures is questioned in light of the increasing evidence of trafficking to and within the island.
Colonel Yvey Daniel Carballo Pérez, head of the General Staff of the Border Guard Troops Directorate of Cuba, stated in December 2025 that "Cuba is not a usual route for drug trafficking, although it faces infiltration attempts primarily by maritime and aerial means."
Ecuador, for its part, seized 214.53 tons of drugs in 2025, economically impacting criminal organizations by over 6.435 billion dollars.
According to Article 220 of the Ecuadorian Organic Comprehensive Penal Code, drug trafficking can be punished with sentences of up to 13 years in prison, depending on the quantity and type of substance, a penalty that the two detainees from Sunday would face.
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