Ecuador Extradites Lithuanian National Wanted for Drug Trafficking

Ecuador has extradited a Lithuanian citizen to his home country to face charges related to international drug trafficking. Rolandas V. was apprehended in Quito last December by Ecuadorian police in collaboration with Interpol as part of the European Union's PACCTO 2.0 project.

The extradition followed an order from the National Court of Justice in Ecuador, based on an Interpol alert and an international arrest warrant issued by the Vilnius District Court in Lithuania on July 25, 2024. The Lithuanian suspect is accused of being part of an organized criminal group involved in illicit drug trafficking between Lithuania and Latvia.

According to Ecuador's Ministry of the Interior, Lithuanian authorities seized more than four kilograms of drugs, including amphetamines, in 2023, which were allegedly linked to Rolandas V.'s network. He had reportedly been operating in Ecuador since 2022, possibly in conjunction with another individual who was also arrested and extradited to Lithuania earlier this year.

Rolandas V. was transferred to Quito's airport under heavy security and handed over to a Lithuanian delegation to complete his extradition.