Before a commission of the National Assembly, the general commander of the Police, Victor Hugo Záratereported that, after a verification carried out by the Armed Forces, the 2,000 hectares of coca that the president spoke of have not been found in the country. Daniel Noboain a message to the nation, on October 14.
Zárate indicated that the Armed Forces tracked on the ground the satellite information that was included in a report that the United States delivered to Ecuador and “They identified that there were not 2,000 hectares”. In October, Noboa assured: “In Ecuador there are 2,000 hectares of coca plantations.” Then, the president explained that this data was “obtained with international assistance” and assured that he will take measures to eradicate said crops: “The past opened the doors for us to become a producing country, today we are in charge of closing them.”
Noboa based his statement about illegal crops on the report Geospatial analysis of illicit crops on the northern border of Ecuadorwhich was delivered by the United States government to Ecuador. The study was prepared using satellite images obtained by Copernicusan Earth observation program of the European Union, in collaboration with the National Police of Ecuador and the Armed forces. It is also based on data from think tanks, press reports and other sources such as the DEA and the International Narcotics Control Strategy (INL).
The study indicates that between January and March 2024, “the presence of between two and 17 hectares of coca leaves was evident in the provinces of Carchi, Esmeraldas and Sucumbíos,” on the northern border shared with Colombia. This would represent, according to the report, “close to 2,000 hectares of illicit crops in Ecuador.” However, it is noted that “This document has an exploratory nature, it is recommended to carry out field research in the identified areas to corroborate the information obtained from the satellite analysis”.
The US government also reiterated, in October, in relation to the geospatial report that the “information comes from a private study based on publicly available satellite data. This is an exploratory analysis” and that “the purpose of this study is informative, there are no definitive conclusions or specific recommendations.”
In an analysis of the production capacity of cocaine hydrochloride, the study indicates that there is already a history of processing laboratories, such as the one discovered in 2022, in Mataje, in Esmeraldas. This laboratory had a production capacity of 500 kilos of cocaine per week and was linked to the Tiguerones. The report also notes that “The lack of an Illicit Crops Monitoring Report prevents determining, with scientific evidence, the production capacity of cocaine hydrochloride. Therefore, estimated data on the number of annual harvests and the production capacity of the productive enclaves on the southern border of Colombia are used.”
The report included in its annexes a series of satellite coordinates that, according to Zárate, were corroborated by the military forces. For some analysts, it is difficult to believe that crops of such magnitude have not been previously reported or detected, especially considering that, according to the study, 50% of illicit crops are concentrated in a 10-kilometer strip of the border. This draws attention, since 2,000 hectares are approximately equivalent to 2,802 professional soccer fields, an extension that is difficult to overlook. In his statements, Zárate indicated that the Armed Forces did identify illicit crops that cover an area of 7 hectares. So far, the government has not denied or offered additional context about the information provided by the Police commander.
