Spain and Ecuador halt cocaine network said to have financing from Dubai-based investors

In a long-term operation spanning several years, Spanish and Ecuadorian law enforcement have arrested 44 suspects and confiscated 21 metric tons of cocaine, breaking up an international drug ring that allegedly received funding from Albanian investors based in Dubai, as reported by Spain's Interior Ministry.

Investigators revealed that the financiers funneled large sums of money into Spanish companies to camouflage the drug shipments.

The probe began in 2024 after authorities intercepted multiple shipping containers loaded with cocaine in Brazil, Ecuador and the Spanish ports of Málaga, Algeciras and Valencia. The crackdown escalated in March 2025 when Ecuadorian police raided about 50 properties and detained 36 suspects, while Spanish authorities arrested eight others across several provinces and seized 1 million euros ($1.15 million) in cash.