Seizure of cocaine in Guayaquil (Ecuador) MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR OF ECUADOR
The approach is named encapsulation and consists of blending cocaine powder with cement to make concrete blocks Cocaine hydrochloride is become a powder, combined with cement, salt and chemical accelerators to type a slurry that’s then poured into molds After drying it’s fully hardens, in such a means that it’s unimaginable to extract the cocaine
Ecuadorian authorities have begun utilizing a way referred to as encapsulation by which they combine cocaine powder with cement to make concrete blocks to stop its restoration and reuse and shortly destroy this unlawful substance.
Cocaine hydrochloride is floor right into a powder, combined with cement, salt, and chemical accelerators to type a slurry that’s then poured into molds. After drying, it hardens fully, in such a means that it’s unimaginable to extract the cocaine.
The Undersecretary for Drug Control of the Ministry of the Interior, Edmundo Mera, has defined the tactic in an interview with the InSight Crime portal and has highlighted that from the start of the 12 months and till October 14, 2022, Ecuador had destroyed nearly 180 tons of medicine in whole, and 61 p.c had been destroyed utilizing the potting approach.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recommends encapsulation as a viable option to dispose of medicine and poisonous supplies utilized in drug processing, however Ecuador is the primary nation to destroy cocaine on such a big scale with this methodology. , a UNODC skilled on artificial medication, Martin Raithelhuber, informed InSight Crime.
It can be a fast and much-needed methodology in Ecuador, the place seizures have elevated by 42 p.c in 2022 in ports alone. Encapsulation permits the destruction of as much as 1,500 kilos of medicine per hour, whereas incineration is restricted to 70 kilos. per hour.