Ecuador / Peru: INTERPOL dismantles crime groups involved in counterfeiting, fuel smuggling

Interpol reported…Two organized crime networks involved in fuel smuggling across Peru and Ecuador have been dismantled following an INTERPOL-coordinated operation targeting illicit trade and counterfeiting.

More than 60 interventions were carried out as part of Operation Alisuyo, targeting the criminal gangs known as ‘culebras’ or ‘snakes’ because of the way they move across borders. One raid near the Peru/Ecuador border involved some 450 officers, resulting in the dismantlement of the distribution network and closure of 10 points of sale in Peru.

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Following a two-month long joint investigation by the Ecuador National Police and the Colombian National Police, a second gang was also identified and dismantled following a raid in Sucumbíos Province near the Ecuador/Colombia border.

In total these two raids alone resulted in the arrest of 10 people and the seizure of 27 vehicles, five pumps and 10,000 gallons of fuel with a combined value of USD 254,000. Read Article