In this detention center, the largest in the Andean country in the province of Guayas, a new confrontation broke out this Saturday, in which three inmates were injured.
Afterwards, the SNAI reported that it had taken control of the prison, but early Sunday morning, multiple detonations and gunfire inside the prison woke local residents.
So far there have been no reports of casualties or injuries. Prosecutors said they are currently reviewing this information at the correctional facility.
For his part, Interior Minister Juan Zapata reported that the Unified Command Post would coordinate measures to deal with the prison crisis and restore order.
Meanwhile, broadcaster Ecuavisa questioned the SNAI’s information on the situation there and warned that the unrest was not under control.
From jails, gangs like Los Chone Killers, Los Choneros, Los Lobos and Los Tiguerones are trying to control drug trafficking in the country, while police officers claim to have seized more than 150 tons of narcotics so far this year.
Litoral Prison has been the scene of some of the largest massacres in Ecuadorian prisons since 2020, killing more than 450 prisoners, stemming from clashes between rival gangs contesting internal control of the detention centers.
Ecuador is suffering from a prison and security crisis, which the executive branch blames on disputes between criminal gangs over drug trafficking control.
Violence has also spread to the streets, particularly in the coastal region, where drugs are shipped to the US and Europe from ports.
The wave of insecurity is becoming increasingly evident with frequent robberies, murders, extortions, kidnappings, bomb threats and other crimes, while citizens are demanding that President Guillermo Lasso’s government take comprehensive action to combat this wave.
jha/nta