Six held as soldiers seize 12 kg of marijuana from boat in Sucumbíos
Ecuadorian soldiers intercepted a boat in La Papaya, Putumayo, detaining six suspected Comandos de la Frontera members and seizing about 12 kg of marijuana with weapons and a canoe. The Defence Ministry valued the blow to northern-border criminal structures at 120,000 dollars.
Soldiers intercepted a boat carrying weapons, explosives and controlled
substances in Sucumbíos.[1]The detention took place in the La Papaya sector
of Putumayo canton, Sucumbíos province.[1]The operation ended with six people
detained, three Ecuadorians and three Colombians.[1]Ecuador’s Defence
Ministry said the detainees allegedly had links to the organised armed group
Comandos de la Frontera.[1]
Officers found weapons, a hand grenade, ammunition and magazines alongside about
twelve kilograms of suspected marijuana.[1]They also seized a canoe-type boat
and an outboard motor.[1]The Defence Ministry put the blow to criminal
structures operating on the northern border at 120,000 dollars.[1]
Photos and video
Page photo for the Sucumbíos operation, captioned on the 12 kg marijuana seizure and the 120,000-dollar blow to criminals; no picture credit is given.Photo details
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arrested
6
Cannabis
12 kg
Value (official estimate)
USD 120,000
Agency
Ecuadorian military
Agency type
Military
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis (12 kg)
Setting
Port or sea
Case stage
Under investigation
Region
Sucumbíos
Date
Publication date
Sources
El Universoeluniverso.comESGolpe a Comandos de la Frontera tras incautación de armas y marihuana en Sucumbíos
Open questions the AI reported
The article gives no separate date for the interception; 11 June 2026 is its publication date and is used as the incident date.
The marijuana is described as presunta and the weight as approximate, so the 12 kg figure is the Defence Ministry's preliminary account.
The 120,000-dollar figure is the Defence Ministry's estimate of the blow to criminal structures from the whole operation, including weapons and the boat, not cannabis alone.
No names, charges or court outcome for the six detainees were reported.
Only one accessible source for this event was found after searching in Spanish and English.
Ecuador's National Police stopped an interprovincial bus at the Km 24 circuit and found 4,153 grams of marijuana hidden in a passenger's backpack. A Colombian man identified as the luggage's owner was detained and placed at the disposal of the judicial authority.
Ecuadorian army troops searched a house at the entrance to Monterrey, in La Concordia canton, and found about 100 grams of a greenish substance believed to be marijuana, along with cocaine, 140 rounds of 9 mm ammunition and a homemade revolver. No one was arrested and the army did not identify the owners of the house.
Ecuador's National Police seized 26 grams of marijuana from a Quito-to-Manta parcel at Manta's bus terminal on 30 October 2026 after detector dog CUMI alerted. No one was detained; prosecutors opened an inquiry into the sender and recipient.
Ecuador's National Police seized 535.03 kg of marijuana, packed in 350 rectangular parcels, from an SUV in San Miguel de Ibarra and arrested the driver, named in one report as Jorge M. The force valued the load at more than US$414,000 on the domestic market.
