Colombia, Mexico It is Peru are the main places of origin of firearms that arrive illegally in the Ecuador to supply criminal gangs operating in the country, according to a report by Ecuadorian Organized Crime Observatory (OECO), which also noted an increasing use of weapons created using 3D printers.
He OECO He highlighted that these weapons reach Ecuador by land, through illegal border crossings with Colombia It is Peru; river, especially in the Amazon region; by sea, in boats that smuggle this cargo; and even by air, in small planes that arrive in the country to carry drugs and leave money and weapons.
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This Observatory, funded by the United States Bureau of Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and implemented by the Pan American Development Foundation (Padf), highlighted that arms trafficking across the border with Colombia has historically been the most intense and problematic, but lately the border with Peru has generated concern.
In this sense, he cited a report from the Peruvian National Police (PNP), which reported more than 391 thousand bullets seized in the region of Tumbeson the border with Ecuador in 2023, a number 138 times higher than in 2022 and representing 92% of all ammunition seized across the country that year.
“The Peruvian arms trafficking route to Ecuador would begin in Tumbes and would travel along different routes to supply regions of the Ecuadorian coast, mountains and the Amazon. The main mode of this type of traffic would be the ant type.” noted the document, titled ‘Lost paradise? Firearms trafficking and violence in Ecuador‘.
The Observatory also mentioned the assassination of the presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in August 2023, committed by a group of Colombian killers apparently with a weapon legally imported into Peru and which ended up on the black market.
From Mexico by small plane
Likewise, the investigation found that some of the 500,000 American weapons that enter the country annually Mexico They end up in Ecuador, where they arrive in small planes thanks to the Ecuadorian mafia’s connections with the cartels. Sinaloa it’s from Jalisco New Generation.
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By the waterway he mentioned the rivers Aguarico It is napo as the most used, mainly due to the lack of control.
The maritime route is the least known, but it became evident when in 2023 it was intercepted in Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) a boat loaded with 122 rifles, 48 pistols and 124 magazines.
Rise of 3D Printed Weapons
However, the Observatory warned that “3D printed weapons also circulate on the Ecuadorian market” and recalled the dismantling, in April 2023, of a gang dedicated to assembling MP15 model rifle parts made using 3D printers.
These weapons have the advantage for criminals that the user is anonymous.
“In the words of a gang member interviewed for this report, ‘it’s more difficult to find the owner, because these weapons don’t have numbers or anything, they are used because the shooter is not found. That’s why today there are murderers who still don’t know who it was. They are efficient weapons, as automatic as any other imported weapon.”the document cited.
Purchase and rent
Regarding prices, the report reflects that shotguns can cost between 8,000 and 15,000 dollars, while a 3D printed shotgun can cost between 3,500 and 4,000 dollars in the local market.
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There is also a market for renting weapons, mainly for committing robberies, robberies, hitmen (murders for hire) and kidnappings, the value of which can be around US$500, although it can also be paid for with drugs.
As a recommendation, the OECO urged Ecuador to coordinate with the authorities of Colombia and Peru and considered that “the efforts of the Organization of American States (OAS), within the framework of the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials, can provide important support”.
Since the beginning of the year, the President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboaelevated the fight against organized crime to “internal armed conflict” and classified criminal gangs as terrorists, mainly dedicated to drug trafficking and considered the cause of Ecuador being the country with the most homicides per capita in 2023. Latin America90% of them committed with firearms.
Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
