Ecuadorian Officials Use GPS Tracking to Help Thwart Drug Trafficking

The State of Things

Have you ever heard of the Urabeños, the Rastrojos, or La Cordillera? How about the Sinola Cartel? Perhaps you’re unfamiliar with these groups, but they have all been linked to the trafficking of illegal drugs in Ecuador. In fact, experts say that Ecuador’s role as a leader in the sale and transport of illegal drugs is on the rise. That’s a role that the country’s leadership would like to diminish and ultimately abandon. But how? Ecuadorian leaders say GPS technology can play an important role.

A Nationwide System

In December 2013, Ecuador launched a nationwide system to track the movement of controlled substances in their country through the use of GPS tracking. The ultimate goal is to dramatically cut down on the flow of such substances into the hands of those who create and distribute illegal drugs and those who create weapons of destruction (i.e., bombs) in the country and throughout the world.

This system is not designed to monitor the flow of illegal drugs themselves; instead it’s intended to monitor the flow of legitimate chemicals that may be misused to produce illegal drugs, such as cocaine, and as ingredients in homemade explosive devices. Such substances include sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid and can be expanded to include potassium permanganate, calcium chloride, hexane, toluene, and acetone.

How Does the System Work?

It all starts from the point of arrival for the substance—whether that’s an airport, shipping dock, or other location. Vehicles that transport the materials for private companies are equipped with sensitive GPS-enabled monitors. If a vehicle departs from its prescribed route or if its cargo doors are opened at an unauthorized time or in an unauthorized location, authorities are immediately notified. In addition, each vehicle includes a “panic button” that a driver can activate if, for example, someone tries to waylay him or highjack his shipment. If the GPS tracking system is triggered, authorities can respond within minutes to ascertain what the problem is.

This system is the only reasonable, accurate, and immediate way to keep track of hundreds of shipments being conveyed every day by the over 200 companies permitted to transfer such materials. In Ecuador as a whole, over 1,800 companies are permitted to sell such materials.

Who is Putting This Program Together?

Ecuador’s National Council for the Control of Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances (abbreviated “CONSEP”) is the governmental agency behind the creation and implementation of this National Georeferencing System. It’s their responsibility to grant licenses to companies and to ensure that dangerous but legal substances (such as calcium chloride, toluene, and so on) are safely stored and transferred. The implementation of GPS tracking technology has made doing so much easier, increasing drivers’ safety and accountability.

CONSEP was established in the early 1990s as an outgrowth of the Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances Act. Regulations based on the act mandated the establishment of CONSEP with the purpose of “combating and eradicating the production, supply and abuse of narcotic and psychotropic substances and the illicit traffic in them.” It also provided CONSEP with the oversight of those permitted to make and sell “controlled substances” and allowed CONSEP to work with recovering addicts and in the prevention of drug abuse. CONSEP’s mission statement, somewhat loosely translated into English, instructs the group to “generate and monitor participatory processes for drug prevention, with a focus on the subject and a healthy approach to living.” Their vision statement, also rather loosely translated, directs them to “lead a culture of drug prevention with a committed, responsible, and capable team.”

It is interesting that, according to some sources, Ecuador’s drug war is not aimed at eradicating illicit drug use from the populace. In fact, according to the country’s Constitution, the use of illicit drugs is viewed as a health concern rather than a crime. Even more interesting is that CONSEP has set what they consider to be reasonable “maximum amounts” of drugs that would be considered illegal in many other nations. For example, they recommend that citizens of Ecuador be permitted to possess small amounts of marijuana, opiates, cocaine—and even meth, LSD, and heroin.

The Program’s Reception

Leaders of the GPS monitoring program think private companies—who stand to lose profits if their shipments of so-called “precursor chemicals” are stolen—will be grateful for the program. In February of 2014 Ecuador’s Armed Forces Joint Command, in tandem with the country’s Arms Control Department, began requiring companies that legally provide certain levels of these chemicals (more than 200 metric tons) annually to appear on a registry list.

The program has received kudos from as lofty a group as the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board, and Ecuador is working with other countries in Latin America that want to implement such a program in their nations—including Venezuela, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay.

Ecuadorian Officials Use GPS Tracking to Help Thwart Drug Trafficking