US Authorities Arrest Ecuadorian Politicians and Business Figures in Major Cocaine and Firearms Importation Conspiracy

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, alongside DEA Administrator Terrance Cole, announced the indictment and arrest of five Ecuadorian nationals accused of conspiring to import substantial quantities of cocaine into the United States over a period exceeding a decade.

Among those charged are Jaime Estrada Medranda, a former member of Ecuador's National Assembly representing a district in Manabí province; Jaime Estrada Bonilla, a former mayor of Manta and current mayoral candidate; Jacobo Abdala Bucaram-Pulley, son of a former Ecuadorian president; and two other prominent narcotraffickers, Geovanny Fernández Menéndez and William José Briones López.

Federal prosecutors allege that these individuals played pivotal roles in transforming Ecuador into a significant transit point for approximately 70% of the cocaine entering the United States and Europe. The indictment details a coordinated effort to dismantle the political corruption and drug trafficking networks that have exacerbated violence and undermined security in Ecuador.

"The charges announced today represent a coordinated effort to dismantle political corruption and drug trafficking that have wreaked havoc in Ecuador," stated US Attorney McDonald. "These proceedings hold accountable influential politicians and narcotraffickers who have profited from and facilitated international drug trafficking, undermining Ecuador's internal security."

DEA Administrator Cole emphasized that "political influence, financial resources, and powerful connections do not place anyone beyond the reach of US justice. Those exploiting legitimate businesses to traffic cocaine into our communities must understand that the DEA will follow the evidence, expose their networks, and collaborate with international partners to bring them to justice. No title, fortune, or family connection alters that commitment."

Ecuador's geographic position between Colombia and Peru, two of the world's largest cocaine producers, has made it a central hub for cocaine trafficking. Hundreds of tons of cocaine are exported annually from Ecuador's major seaports, notably Manta in Manabí province and Guayaquil in Guayas province. Traffickers exploit legal maritime trade routes, concealing narcotics within shipments of seafood, bananas, timber, and minerals, as well as using fishing vessels and fast boats to smuggle cocaine into the United States and other international markets.

The indictment alleges that Jaime Estrada Medranda and Jaime Estrada Bonilla have long collaborated with some of the region's most violent and significant drug trafficking organizations, including groups designated as terrorist organizations such as Los Choneros and Los Lobos. Medranda represented a district encompassing Manta, a key tuna processing center and one of Ecuador's largest ports, while Bonilla, his father, served as Manta's mayor and president of the Manta Port Authority. Both are owners and executives of a major seafood export company based in Manta and a professional football club.

According to the indictment, Medranda and Bonilla used their seafood export business to smuggle large quantities of cocaine concealed within legitimate shipments. They allegedly employed trusted intermediaries to meet with narcotraffickers, receive payments, and coordinate the logistics of packaging and smuggling cocaine out of Ecuador using containers loaded with legitimate goods.

For instance, around 2026, Medranda and Bonilla sent representatives Geovanny Fernández Menéndez and William José Briones López to meet with Jacobo Abdala Bucaram-Pulley to negotiate the export of an alleged two-ton cocaine shipment from Ecuador to Mexico, destined subsequently for the United States.

In another incident circa 2023, their seafood export company was used to ship multiple-ton cocaine consignments from Ecuadorian ports. On or about May 27, 2023, Ecuadorian National Police seized approximately 1,444 kilograms of cocaine inside a company container at the port of Guayaquil.

The five accused—Jaime Estrada Medranda (41), Jaime Estrada Bonilla (71), Jacobo Abdala Bucaram-Pulley (48), Geovanny Fernández Menéndez (53), and William José Briones López (47)—face charges including conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life imprisonment; possession of machine guns, with a mandatory minimum of 30 years and up to life; and conspiracy to possess machine guns, punishable by up to life imprisonment.

Sentencing will be determined by a judge, notwithstanding the statutory minimums and maximums established by Congress.

Medranda and Bonilla were arrested around November 2, 2026, while traveling in Panama. Abdala Bucaram-Pulley, Fernández Menéndez, and Briones López were apprehended around November 4, 2026, in Ecuador.

US Attorney McDonald praised the exceptional efforts of the DEA's Bilateral Investigations Unit within the Special Operations Division, the Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs, DEA offices in Quito and Panama City, the US Department of State, and the US Embassy in Quito. He also acknowledged significant assistance from the governments of Ecuador and Panama.

The prosecution is being handled by the National Security and International Narcotics Unit of the US Attorney's Office, with Assistant US Attorneys Jonathan L. Bodansky, Jane Y. Chong, Jeffrey W. Coyle, and Varun A. Gumaste leading the indictment.

The charges are allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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