Ecuador on alert. President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in the prison system on Monday after public enemy No. 1, Adolfo Macias alias “Fito”, leader of the largest criminal gang, escaped and riots broke out in the prisons. “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,” Daniel Noboa said in a video released by the presidency.
The army is thus authorized to operate for 60 days to maintain order in the country's streets and prisons, where a curfew has been imposed between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. local time.
The security forces are “working hard to find this extremely dangerous person” who allegedly escaped on Sunday “a few hours” from a control operation in the prison of Guayaquil (South), explained the government communications minister Roberto Izurieta “Infiltrations”.
Complicit guards?
The public prosecutor's office announced this on Monday about the murder on the social network.
On Sunday, the police chief admitted to the press that he was “not found where he should have been,” a high-security cell in the port city's prison. The public prosecutor's office then opened an investigation into the “alleged escape” of 44-year-old Fito, the leader of the “Choneros”, a gang of around 8,000 people, according to experts, which had become the main actor in the flourishing drug trade in Ecuador.
“Fito” had already escaped from a high-security prison with other prisoners in 2013 and was captured again after three months. Roberto Izurieta complained that “the level of infiltration” of criminal groups within the state is “very high” and described Ecuador’s prison 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 be with Negotiate with terrorists and not stop until we bring peace back to all Ecuadorians,” Noboa emphasized.
Seized guards
Heavily armed police and soldiers entered several prisons in the country, 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 armed forces 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”.
“We have taken measures that will allow us to regain control of the prisons,” stressed President Noboa.
Homicides have increased eightfold in five years
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.
Prisons are the scene of recurring massacres between rival gangs. Since February 2021, there have been at least a dozen massacres in which more than 460 prisoners died. The authorities have so far proven unable to regain control. Daniel Noboa was elected in the fall of 2023 on a promise to curb insecurity in the country and regain control of prisons.