Murder of prosecutor in Ecuador: are the measures taken in the midst of the internal armed conflict insufficient?

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Suárez was shot on Wednesday afternoon while traveling in his vehicle to a hearing in a drug trafficking case, which in addition to fueling the crisis increased fears for the safety of those tasked with combating crime and drug trafficking in this wave of violence. The prosecutor was not protected by protective equipment.

The murdered prosecutor was in charge of the Metastasis case, which revealed last December that an Ecuadorian drug lord had infiltrated the State and obtained favorable treatment from judges, prosecutors, police and high officials.

Following the murder of Suárez, State Attorney General Diana Salazar requested security guarantees for prosecutors and that the judicial authorities authorize the hearings to be telematic.

This Thursday, the Ecuadorian police arrested two murder suspects in Guayaquil, from whom a rifle, two pistols, feeders and two vehicles were seized. In photographs released by the authorities, uniforms from public institutions and other clothing items are also observed.

In the afternoon, police attributed Suárez’s death to one of the criminal groups classified by the government as a terrorist organization. “From the hypothesis handled by the National Police, these criminals would belong to the terrorist group ChoneKiller, the motivation is still under investigation,” said the head of the Guayaquil police, General Víctor Herrera.

Operation in Guayaquil prison

In addition, hundreds of soldiers and police entered a prison in the Guayaquil prison complex this Thursday, while heavily armed tanks and squads were located around the prison. The soldiers carried long weapons and had their faces covered.

The operation at the Guayas Social Rehabilitation Center No. 4, also known as the Regional Prison, was carried out “in order to register prohibited objects and maintain control inside the prison center,” reported the National Police, through from your “X” account. Guayaquil has become the epicenter of the war against drugs in Ecuador.

It was from that prison center that Adolfo Macías, alias “Fito”, the head of one of the largest and most feared drug gangs, escaped almost two weeks ago and whose escape led the government to decree a state of emergency and subsequently the internal armed conflict. .

After the murder of Suárez, the Minister of Defense, Gian Carlo Loffredo, expressed the “strong commitment of the national government to supporting the administration of justice.”

The attorney general has also reported death threats against her from one of the leaders of the Los Lobos gang, who escaped from prison amid the riots that occurred in the prisons last week.

“The street continues to be worrying”

Concern for the well-being of the security forces and authorities fighting organized crime was also reflected with a warning issued by the Armed Forces to its own members.

Through a document, military Intelligence has advised members who carry out operations and controls in the streets in recent days not to accept, if possible, prepared food or drinks, reports the newspaper “El Universo.”

The Armed Forces maintain that all levels of risk that soldiers could face during their work are studied. “Terrorist groups could pose as generous people by contaminating food, in order to minimize permanence and affect personnel so that they cannot carry out military operations,” indicates the institution.

In its editorial this Thursday, “El Universo” highlights that the murder of Suárez, as well as the warning that criminals could be offered contaminated food to law enforcement, “confirm that the street continues to be worrying despite the actions in the middle of the internal armed conflict.”

“No one is free from risks in a situation of violence and the now declared internal armed conflict. Evidence is the murder, also this January 17, of prosecutor Suárez, who was carrying out investigations that by their nature were high risk. The investigations into this crime must concern all authorities, as well as any signs of threat that may exist on institutions or officials who are fighting for the country to overcome the insecurity crisis,” the media notes.

“There is an obligation to justice, because impunity cannot continue to work in favor of criminals,” he adds.