The Ecuador government deported this May 6, 2025 to Saul E., Colombian citizen known with the alias of “Saul”, Pointed out as a high value objective by the authorities of United States, Colombia and Ecuador. The Interior Ministry informed that the individual had an order of capture in force in his country of origin for the crime of money laundering, in addition to being allegedly linked to criminal drug trafficking structures.
The capture of Saulo E. was the result of a joint operation between the Undersecretariat of Migration of the Ministry of Interior, the national Unit of Anti-Drug Investigation (UIAN) of the National Police of Ecuador, the United States Drug Control Administration (DEA) and the SIU-DIJIN of Colombia. During a routine control in the province of Esmeraldasthe Colombian citizen was identified, who would have irregularly entered the Ecuadorian territory to evade the justice of his country.
According to the authorities, Saulo E. is one of the leaders of the organized armed group “Pacific Guerrilla Coordinator”, Made up of dissidents of the Oliver Sinisterra and Farc Front. Its activity would be related to transnational operations of illicit drug trafficking on large -scale drugs, which has generated regional concern. In 2024, he was arrested in Tumaco, Colombia, for money laundering. According to the Official Gazette, it would have introduced significant sums of money to the Colombian financial system fraudulently, from a network dedicated to drug trafficking.
After that arrest, Saulo E. crossed the border to Ecuador, where he continued his illicit activities clandestinely. The red criminal to which it belongs, the intelligence agencies warn, it has Logistics routes for monthly transport of up to four tons of cocaineusing both air and sea means. These international distribution capabilities made him a priority target for the security agencies of the three countries.
The Interior Ministry began the deportation process once its irregular immigration status and criminal records have been confirmed. The procedure concluded this Monday, when the Ecuadorian authorities gave Saulo E. to their Colombian peers in the border area of Rumichaca. From there, the international capture order is expected to be executed for extradition purposes to the United States.
The measure was legally supported by the Organic Law of Human Mobility of Ecuador, in its article 143, numeral 7, which allows the deportation of persons considered a threat or risk for public security or the structure of the State. According to the Ecuadorian government, Its expulsion seeks to prevent the country from being used as a refuge by members of international criminal organizations.
The Interior portfolio stressed that these types of operations will be maintained as part of a broader strategy to dismantle organized crime networks. The authorities stressed that they will continue to reinforce regional and international cooperation with the objective of providing citizen security and prevent Ecuador from becoming a transnational drug trafficking enclave.
The deportation of alias “Saul” occurs in a context of growing international pressure on armed groups and drug trafficking networks operating in the Andean region. Both Colombia and the United States have identified FARC dissidents as key actors in the expansion of drug routes to Central America and North America. In this scenario, Ecuador has reinforced its collaboration with international agencies and has increased border controls, especially in sensitive areas such as Esmeraldas and the Northern Border.
The delivery of the Colombian citizen represents a new gesture of the Ecuadorian government to consolidate its role in the fight against transnational crime. The authorities insisted that no criminal actor may use the national territory as a safe zone to flee justice.
