Authorities in Ecuador, a country facing an unprecedented wave of drug-trafficking violence, seized more than 64 tons of cocaine between January and April, police said Tuesday.

“In April, 995 drug suspects were arrested,” while “18.5 tons” of drugs were seized, police General Pablo Ramirez, director of the narcotics enforcement agency, told reporters.

In total, 64.6 tons of drugs have been seized so far this year and 4,099 suspected traffickers have been arrested, the top officer said.

Authorities include all types of drugs (marijuana, cocaine, etc.) in the seizures they announce. However, these are mainly quantities of cocaine.

The most recent seizure, of almost two tonnes (1.9), was made when drugs were found in a cargo of bananas due to be transported from the port of Guayaquil (southwest) in Sweden.

According to authorities, more than 200 tons of cocaine were seized in 2022 and 210 tons in 2021, a record year.

On the coast of Ecuador on the Pacific Ocean, Guayaquil is among the cities most affected by drug trafficking and the violence associated with it.

At least 18 people were killed there late last week, according to press reports. On Saturday, unknown assailants opened fire on people watching a football match on television, killing ten of them.

On April 11, in the province of Esmeralda (northwest), about thirty gunmen opened fire without saying a word on civilians, killing nine. According to authorities, the victims were under gang protection and were attacked by rival gang members.

In the Latin American country’s prisons, conflicts between inmates have claimed the lives of more than 420 people since 2021. Outside of them, the homicide rate almost doubled in 2022 from 2021: from 14 to 25 per 100,000 residents, according to with the authorities.

The outbreak of violence prompted the government to impose a state of emergency in the worst-hit provinces and cities, especially the coastal areas of Santa Elena, Los Rios and Esmeralda, as well as the cities of Guayaquil, Duran and Saborondon.

The government of right-wing President Guillermo Lasso now designates gangs of thugs as “terrorist” organizations, meaning Ecuador’s military will now be involved in law enforcement operations.