The head of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, Jaime Vela, assured this Tuesday that they are “closer to ‘Fito‘”, the drug trafficker who escaped from a prison in Ecuador and whose search unleashed a series of attacks that led to the head of state, Daniel Noboato declare the internal armed conflict.
“We are getting closer and surely alias’Fito‘he’s feeling it’he said in a joint press conference with the Police Commander, Cesar Zapatain which he noted that USA and Colombia They support intelligence aspects in this type of work with the security block.
About the relatives of ‘Fito‘ expelled last week from Argentinaincluding his wife, Inda PenarrietaVela said that since there is no judicial process against them, they are “free people”, although they do have surveillance over them.
The authorities discovered the leak of ‘Fito‘ on January 7, when they were preparing to transfer him to a maximum security prison, and during his search an attack by criminal groups was unleashed, cataloged by Noboa as “terrorists”, whom law enforcement must neutralize.
READ ALSO: Daniel Noboa will meet tomorrow in Madrid with the King of Spain, Felipe VI
Operational results
A total of 3,219 people have been arrested in Ecuador during the first fifteen days of the declaration of “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 Tuesday on the police and military operations carried out under this new scenario, where 22 organized crime gangs have been considered terrorist groups and belligerent non-state actors.
Between January 9 and 23, Ecuadorian authorities also claim to have killed five alleged members of these gangs, while two police officers were murdered and another eleven were released from prison. different kidnappings apparently executed by these mafias.
During that period, 1,087 firearms have been seized, 1,383 edged weapons169 weapons feeders, more than 48,200 bullets and nearly 5,000 explosives.
The law enforcement agencies Ecuador They have also seized more than 35.7 tons of drugs and more than $23,200 in cash.
According to the balance of Executivein these fifteen days there were thirteen attacks on public and private infrastructures and another thirteen on police establishments.
Law enforcement forces have deployed 36,390 operations and seized 15 boats and one semisubmersible loaded with drugs, in which were three Colombians, now in preventive detention.
He “internal armed conflict” was declared by the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboaon January 9 before a wave of attacks and violent actions, 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.
During those riots, nearly 90 prisoners escaped, including Fabricio Columbus Peakconsidered one of the ringleaders of the gang ‘The Wolves‘and accused of allegedly planning an attack against the attorney general, Diana Salazar.
Law enforcement captured 32 escaped prisonersaccording to the official report.
