New York (AFP) – A son of former Ecuadorian president Abdalá Bucaram is being prosecuted by US federal justice for cocaine trafficking, announced on Thursday the federal prosecutor of New York, Jamie McDonald, and the director of the US anti-drug agency (DEA), Terrance Cole.

First modification: 11/06/2026 - 16:25

In addition to his "participation in a conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States," Jacobo Bucaram Pulley is accused of "possession of machine guns" and "conspiracy to possess machine guns," according to a statement.

The 48-year-old man was arrested in Ecuador, the South American country's Interior Minister, John Reimberg, reported on Wednesday.

Four other Ecuadorians were also detained and are being prosecuted in this case, according to US federal justice.

Among them are Jaime Estrada Bonilla, 71, former mayor of the coastal city of Manta and former congressman, and his son Jaime Estrada Medranda, 41, also a former congressman. They are accused of having used their seafood export company to transport drugs.

"As alleged in the indictment, the defendants played a decisive role in transforming (Ecuador) into a major transit hub for 70% of the cocaine that reaches the United States and Europe," McDonald said in the statement.

"These processes hold responsible both powerful politicians and drug traffickers who benefited from international drug trafficking - facilitating it, too - and who undermined Ecuador's internal security," he added.

Depending on the charges against them, defendants face sentences of up to life in prison.

Former president Abdalá Bucaram denounced his son's arrest, which he attributed to "political hatred" in a publication on X.

In 2022, Washington declared the former head of state, his wife and three of his children ineligible to enter the United States due to "their participation in significant acts of corruption."

In September, the Ecuadorian justice system convicted Abdalá Bucaram and his son Jacobo for the illegal sale of Covid-19 detection tests.

© 2026 AFP

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