A total of 2,578 people have been arrested in Ecuador during the first eleven days of the Government’s declaration of an “internal armed conflict” against organized crime, of which 158 were arrested for alleged terrorism.
The figure comes from a balance of the Government of Ecuador published this Saturday about the police and military operations carried out in the national territory under this new scenario, where 22 organized crime gangs They have been considered terrorist groups and belligerent non-state actors.
Between January 9 and 20, Ecuadorian authorities also claim to have killed five alleged members of these gangs now classified as terroristswhile two police officers were murdered and another eleven were freed from different kidnappings apparently carried out by these mafias.
During that period, they have seized 940 firearms1,139 knives, 69 weapons feeders, more than 31,200 bullets and 4,763 explosives.
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The law enforcement agencies Ecuador They have also seized more than 7.1 tons of drugs and more than $18,500 in cash.
According to the Executive’s balance sheet, in these ten days there were thirteen attacks on public and private infrastructure and twelve on police establishments.
Law enforcement agencies have deployed 29.0240 operational and they have seized 15 boats.
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In the midst of the state of exception and the internal armed conflictwith the military in charge of security, on Wednesday prosecutor César Suárez was murdered, who was in charge of the investigations of the armed raid on the TC television channel on January 9, in Guayaquil, which ended with the arrest of 13 people .
Justice has ordered the preventive detention of two people allegedly involved in the murder of prosecutor Suárez.
The “internal armed conflict” was declared by the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboaon January 9 in the face of a wave of attacks and violent actions attributed to organized crime, which included the kidnapping and murder of police officers, explosion alerts, burning vehicles and simultaneous riots in prisons with the taking of hostages, now released.
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With more than 200 prison officers hostage in total, prison riots in at least seven prisons remained active until last Saturday night, when all of them managed to be released, except for a prison guard who died in an alleged shooting that has not yet been clarified. by the authorities.
During those riots, about 90 prisoners escaped, including Fabricio Colón Pico, considered one of the ringleaders of the gang.The Wolves‘ and accused of allegedly planning an attack against the attorney general, Diana Salazar.
Before these episodes, José Adolfo Macías Villamar, better known as ‘Fito’, the leader of ‘Los Choneros’, one of the most violent gangs in the country, and now classified by the Government of Daniel Noboa as “terrorists” had fled.
