Four police officers were kidnapped in Ecuador amid a state of emergency imposed by President Daniel Noboa following the escape of the leader of the country's largest criminal gang and subsequent prison riots.
• Also read: Ecuador's most feared criminal sits in prison, untraceable
Mr Noboa declared a state of emergency across the country on Monday, including in prisons, for 60 days, with a curfew between 11pm and 5am local time (4am and 10am GMT).
In Machala (southwest), “three police officers on duty” were then kidnapped, the police announced on the social network on the night of Monday to Tuesday, people on board “a vehicle with tinted windows and no license plate.”
The declaration of the state of emergency came the day after the escape of Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito”, 44, leader of the “Choneros” – a gang of around 8,000 people, according to experts, which became the main actor in the flourishing drug trade in Ecuador.
Adolfo Macias, aka “Fito”, during a transfer on August 12, 2023. Photo AFP
He escaped on Sunday from a prison in Guayaquil (southwest), where he had been serving a 34-year sentence since 2011 for organized crime, drug trafficking and murder. He had already escaped from a high-security prison in 2013 and was caught again three months later.
“I have just signed the decree on the state of emergency so that the armed forces have full political and legal support in their actions,” Mr Noboa said on Monday in a video broadcast by the presidency.
The President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa. Photo AFP
This gives the army the authority to maintain order in the country's streets and prisons for 60 days.
The public prosecutor's office opened an investigation against two prison officers “who were allegedly involved in the escape” of “Fito”.
Security forces are “working hard to find this extremely dangerous person” who allegedly escaped from a prison check “a few hours” on Sunday, government Communications Minister Roberto Izurieta said on Monday, referring to “infiltrations”.
Seized guards
Roberto Izurieta regretted that “the level of infiltration” of criminal groups within the state is “very high” and described the Ecuadorian penal system as a “failure.”
“The search (for “Fito”) continues (…) He is found, he must be found,” he said, calling him “a criminal with extremely dangerous characteristics, whose activities have characteristics of terrorism.”
“We will not negotiate with terrorists and will not stop until we bring peace to all Ecuadorians,” President Noboa stressed on Monday.
Following the declaration of a state of emergency, police also reported violence in the gang-controlled province of Esmeraldas (northwest). An explosive device was dropped near a police station and two vehicles were set on fire, without causing any injuries.
Heavily armed police and soldiers entered several prisons, particularly those where guards were sequestered.
Images posted on social media that could not be verified showed guards pinned down by hooded men with knives and implored the government to “proceed with caution” and “not send troops into prisons.”
Videos later released by the military showed prisoners lying in prison yards with their hands on their heads. The prison administration (SNAI) stated that no one was injured in these “incidents”.
Prison guards were taken hostage by inmates at Turi Prison. Photo Fernando MACHADO / AFP
“Take back control”
“We have taken measures that will allow us to regain control of the prisons,” stressed President Noboa.
The name “Fito” has made headlines in recent months after one of the main candidates in the presidential election was assassinated in early August. The victim, a former journalist and parliamentarian, reported death threats from the leader of the Choneros shortly before his execution.
“Fito,” who is known to be very charismatic and has a large beard, studied law in prison until he qualified as a lawyer. Recently, a song sung by a Mexican group to his fame was broadcast on social networks with a video clip and images filmed in his cell.
Ecuador, a country that has become a logistics hub for shipping cocaine to the United States and Europe, is plagued by violence from gangs and drug traffickers. Between 2018 and 2023, the number of homicides increased by almost 800%, from 6 to 46 per 100,000 residents.
Massacres between rival gangs continue to occur in prisons, at least a dozen since February 2021, leaving more than 460 inmates dead.
Mr. Noboa was elected in the fall of 2023 on a promise to curb insecurity in the country and regain control of prisons.