Australians held on cocaine charges in Ecuador

Three Australians have been detained in Ecuador on suspicion of smuggling up to 10kg of cocaine.

The trio, two men and a woman from Melbourne, were arrested in late January in the city of Guayaquil, south-west of Quito.

Fairfax Media reports they have been in custody ever since and insist the drugs were planted in their bags.

Only one of the men can be identified with court documents naming Youssef El Houli, while the woman is believed to be his girlfriend.

The drugs were destroyed on February 9 after being photographed as evidence, according to the court documents.

In Ecuador, possessing more than five kilograms of cocaine has a maximum penalty of 10 to 13 years imprisonment.

Police say Mr El Houli was detected at the airport in Guayaquil with drugs in his luggage and DFAT has confirmed that the three have been offered consular assistance.