According to the Ecuadorian police, the amount of drugs seized in the country in 2021 has almost doubled compared to 2020 and exceeds 210 tons. The main mass of illicit substances is cocaine.
Currently, the amount of the drug in Ecuador exceeds the amount of available space in the 27 police warehouses that are designed to store it. In addition, the record amount of cocaine exceeds the capacity of the ovens used to destroy it, according to Reuters.
Scientists decided, using the encapsulation method, to grind cocaine briquettes in industrial machines along with other waste, and mix the resulting powder with cement, sand and water to make concrete pads.
The head of narcotics investigations said it can take about 12 hours to burn a ton of cocaine, while encapsulating a similar amount of the drug takes less than three hours.
"This procedure is cheaper, takes less time and does not affect the environment," the police officer stressed.