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The crop cultivation/production assessment for 1987 has not changed from the March 1987 INCSR. Ecuador will produce 400-1400 metric tons of coca leaf in 1987.
In January, a conspiracy law went into effect permitting the arrest in Ecuador of persons associated with narcotics violators arrested abroad.
The GOE has proven receptive to testing herbicides on coca. Testing, however, will be limited to those herbicides already licensed for use in Ecuador.
In April, Colonel Victor Hugo Londono replaced Colonel Galo Zamarraga as National Director of Interpol and Narcotics Investigations. No change is anticipated in the level of cooperation between the Embassy and Interpol.
Between June 15-17, the National Police used Army helicopters to conduct a small coca eradication operation in Napo Province. Approximately 10 hectares of coca (22,000 plants) were destroyed along with two coca base
coca base laboratories. Other scheduled eradication operations could not be mounted due to lack of
of helicopters. Since the March 5 earthquake, the government's air resources have been almost totally devoted to flying relief missions, forcing the virtual cessation of the eradication program. The arrival of two leased helicopters dedicated to the anti-narcotics effort will permit the resumption of eradication later this year.
will The
Between July 6-11, a river interdiction operation take place along the Napo River around Puerto Misahualli. operation will search river shipments for
shipments for precursor chemicals. In January, 12 Ecuadoreans were arrested by the Ecuadorean Government for trafficking in 150 drums of ether. One hundred fifteen drums of the ether were seized.
In January, 10 kilograms of high grade heroin were found abandoned at Guayaquil Airport. Also in January, 20 kilograms of cocaine were seized in unmanifested cargo aboard an Ecuatoriana Airlines cargo aircraft in Miami. Ecuatoriana was fined U.S. dollars 960,000. In May, the National Police seized 9 kilos of cocaine locally. In March, Miami authorities seized 1,400 pounds of cocaine from a container shipped from Guayaquil. In June, 121 pounds of cocaine were seized in unmanifested cargo aboard an Ecuatoriana Airlines cargo aircraft in Miami. The aircraft was impounded and held until the airline posted a U.S. dollars 1 million bond. The airline also was fined U.S. dollars 1,986,000.