Ecuador declares state of emergency due to prison riot

General Cesar Zapata, the national police chief, said at a news conference that the country's armed forces had determined that one of the most dangerous prisoners in Guayaquil prison was missing.

trum bang dang khet voice fito vuot tho ecuador ban nuoc an emergency picture 1 — Police forces suppress riots at El Inca prison on January 8, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Although Zapata did not mention the identity of the escaped prisoner, the prosecutor's office said it would investigate the "alleged prison break" of Jose Adolfo Macias, leader of the Los Choneros crime group.

Macias, whose alias is "Fito", was sentenced to 34 years in prison in 2011 for various crimes, including drug trafficking and murder.

Notably, last August, Ecuador had to deploy nearly 4,000 soldiers and police into a prison to hunt down and capture Fito, to transfer him to a higher security prison. But in the end, this gang leader has now escaped again.

trum bang dang khet voice fito vuot tho ecuador ban nuoc an emergency picture 2 — Ecuador had to mobilize thousands of police in August 2023 to arrest Fito even though he was... in prison. Photo: GI

Los Choneros is a criminal organization that authorities have linked to extortion, murder, drug trafficking, and other crimes, and is accused of controlling the country's main prisons.

“I have just signed a decree declaring a state of emergency so that the Armed Forces can have all the political and legal support for their actions. The days are over when drug traffickers, assassins and organized criminals dictate to the government what to do,” said President Noboa.

The state of emergency and related events are one of the first major security challenges for Mr. Noboa, a young businessman who took office in November, promising to crack down on rising levels of violence in the South American country.

Ecuador's prison authority also said on Monday that there had been "incidents" in six of the country's overcrowded prisons, where clashes between rival gangs have frequently left more than 400 inmates dead since 2021.

Mai Anh (according to Reuters)

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