Ecuador declares a state of emergency after the death of 5 police officers at the hands of drug traffickers

Several attacks perpetrated by drug gangs left five policemen dead on Tuesday in Ecuadorwhich led to the president William Lasso to decree a state of exception for the two provinces hardest hit by crime linked to drug trafficking.

“I am declaring a state of emergency in the provinces of Guayas and Esmeraldas, and a curfew starting at 9:00 p.m. (02:00 GMT)”expressed the president on radio and television, without specifying how long the measure will last.

LOOK HERE: Alert in Ecuador: 9 attacks with explosives are recorded in Guayaquil and Esmeraldas

The Constitution allows the president to declare a state of emergency in the face of a serious internal commotion and order the use of the Armed Forces.

The Ministry of the Interior reported that Tuesday’s attacks left “5 deceased policemen” in the commercial port of Guayaquil (southwest Ecuador and capital of Guayas) and the neighboring town of Durán.

Previously, the holder of that portfolio, Juan Zapata, reported two dead policemen in Guayaquil, as well as two other wounded.

The criminality that is recorded in Ecuador, where drug gangs fight for power in prisons and streets, also led to the temporary retention of eight prison guards in a prison in the oil port of emeralds (northwest and capital of the province of the same name).

“Declaration of War”

Drug trafficking organizations perpetrated a dozen attacks with explosives and bullets at police facilities and gas stations in response to the transfer of prisoners from jail Guayas 1 of Guayaquil, one of the main scenes of the repeated massacres among inmates that have left some 400 dead since February 2021.

The authorities specify that 61 police officers died this year also due to violence.

“These acts of sabotage and terrorism are, so to speak, a declaration of open war against the rule of law, the government and against all of you, the citizens,” declared the ruler.

He argued that “today drug crime feels uncomfortable and expresses its discomfort with violence”.

Located between Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest producers of cocaine, Ecuador went from being a drug transit country to an important distribution center for Europe and the United States.

In 2021, the country seized a record 210 tons of drugs, the vast majority of which were cocaine. So far this year, seizures total 160 tons.

As a result of the temporary retention of eight prison guards in Esmeraldas, a video circulated on social networks in which two agents appear with explosives attached to their bodies.

“If they want war, they will have war”, says in the video a man with his face covered, adding that “We are going to exploit these guides.”

MORE INFORMATION: Two prisoners are found dead in a prison in Ecuador

to recover spaces

With the support of the military and police, the SNAI In principle, it transferred 200 prisoners from the Guayas 1 prison in Guayaquil to other prisons.

Its director, Guillermo Rodríguez, declared to the press that this measure was taken to “regain spaces” and noted that the overpopulation in a pavilion reached 100%.

That prison is the most populous of Ecuador with almost 6,900 prisoners and each pavilion is controlled by a single criminal group such as the Lizards and Tiguerones, which according to local media reacted to the transfer of inmates.

Lasso, who suspended a trip scheduled for this Wednesday to the United States, said that he is going to Guayaquil for “lead the unified command post.”

The president added that the security forces “They are going to intensify their operations to guarantee security.”

On Saturday, the Brazilian final of the Copa Libertadores 2022 was played in Guayaquil, with Flamengo’s victory (1-0) over Athletico Paranaense. Some 50,000 visitors arrived at the match, according to authorities, and it proceeded normally.

In the face of violence, a state of emergency was in force in that port for 60 days from August 14.

Ecuador’s prisons have a capacity for some 30,200 people, but house 32,400, registering an overpopulation of 7% compared to 30% in 2021.

On Monday, in the style of Mexican cartel crimes, the bodies of two decapitated people were found hanging from a pedestrian bridge in Esmeraldas.

The war for power between drug organizations has led to the homicide rate, which almost doubled in 2021 to 14 per 100,000 inhabitants, to grow to 18 between January and October 2022.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.