Ecuadorian security crisis
Part of the War on drugs and the spillover of the Colombian conflict

Ecuadorian Army assaulting the Litoral Penitentiary, in Guayaquil
Date28 December 2020 – present
Location
Ecuador
Status Ongoing
Belligerents

 Ecuador

 Los Choneros
Latin Kings
Sinaloa Cartel		 Los Lagartos
Los Lobos
Los Tiguerones
Los Chone Killers
Jalisco New Generation Cartel

Since around 2018,[1] Ecuador has suffered a security crisis resulting from conflicts between criminal organizations with connections to drug trafficking.[2] In recent years, coca leaf production has risen in neighboring Colombia[1] and Peru,[3] with both cocaine and coca base entering Ecuador by land and leaving by sea.[1] The border with Colombia became more porous after Rafael Correa in 2009 declined to renew the US military's lease at Eloy Alfaro Military Base in Manta and stopped working with the United States' Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Following Correa was Lenín Moreno, who cut funding for the prison system and the National Police of Ecuador.[4]

Meanwhile, FARC and the Colombian government reached a peace agreement in the mid-2010s. Multiple groups fought to fill the vacuum left by FARC, and FARC members who opposed the peace deal relocated to Ecuador. Additionally, Ecuador's use of the United States dollar makes it easier for gangs to launder money.[4]

Inter-gang conflicts began after the murder on 28 December 2020 of Jorge Luis Zambrano, leader of the criminal syndicate Los Choneros, considered one of the oldest and most dangerous in the country.[5] Zambrano's death led to the criminal groups known as Los Chone Killers, Los Lobos, Los Pipos, and Los Tiguerones, which functioned as substructures of Los Choneros, to separate from the gang and start a war against its former leaders for control of the country's prisons and drug trafficking through a series of massacres and other criminal acts.[6][5][7] A 2022 report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said that the government had "lost control" of its prison system.[1]

The focus of the violence was at first focused within the prisons of the country,[6] with events such as the February 2021 Ecuadorian prison riots and the September 2021 Guayaquil prison riot, both of which occurred in 2021 and the second considered one of the bloodiest prison massacres in Latin American history.[5] In total, 503 inmates were murdered in the country during 2021 alone.[8]

In recent years, the wave of violence has also manifested itself outside prisons, and international criminal organisations now operate within Ecuador, including the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and the Albanian mafia.[1] This has been reflected in citizen perception, as shown by a survey carried out by the firm Click Research in October 2021, which indicated that crime was considered by the citizens as the biggest problem that the country was going through.[2] The wave of violence has generated a sharp rise in the number of murders in the country.[9] In 2021, the intentional homicide rate reached 14.04 per 100,000 people (the highest since 2011),[10] compared to a rate of 7.8 in 2020.[11] These figures have continued to increase in 2022. The most violent areas in the country includes the cantons of Guayaquil, Durán and Samborondón. It saw 53 murders between January and February 2021 and 162 in the same period in 2022.[12]

Chronology of events

2021

February

  • February 23: The February 2021 Ecuadorian prison riots on 23 February 2021, which left 79 inmates murdered, took place simultaneously at Turi Prison, Litoral Penitentiary and the regional prisons of Latacunga and Guayas.[13] The massacre was perpetrated by members of Los Chone Killers, Los Lobos, Los Pipos and Los Tiguerones against Los Choneros, an organization of which they separated from.[5]

March

  • 5 March: Government minister, Patricio Pazmiño, resigns from office.[14]
  • 31 March: During a police operation in Guayaquil, five members of Los Choneros gang were arrested.[15]

April

  • 28 April: Clashes between members of Los Choneros and Los Lobos at Litoral Penitentiary left five prisoners dead and twelve injured.[16]

May

  • 29 May: The leader of Los Chone Killers, known as Ben10, was released after the prosecutor handling his case refrained from charging him.[17]

June

  • 4 June: During a police operation in different sectors of Guayaquil, fourteen members of Los Choneros were captured.[18]
  • 8 June: Two fishing boats are attacked with explosives and set on fire in Posorja, a rural parish of Guayaquil. At least one of them would have been owned by a leader of Los Choneros.[19]
  • 13 June: Clashes between gangs took place at Litoral Penitentiary, leaving one dead and six injured.[20]

July

  • 21 July: Simultaneous massacres took place at Litoral Penitentiary and Latacunga Regional Prison. The events left 27 inmates murdered. In the case of Litoral, the clashes had started after members of Los Choneros attacked Los Lobos, which caused them to murder inmates who worked in the prison garden and who were supposedly allies of Los Choneros. This in turn unleashed the clashes in Latacunga.[21][22]
  • 22 July: As a result of the massacre that occurred the day before, President Guillermo Lasso dismisses Edmundo Moncayo, director of the National Service for Comprehensive Attention to Persons Deprived of Liberty (SNAI). Fausto Cobo was appointed in his place.[23]

September

  • 13 September: A drone attack took place at Guayas Regional Prison. The devices generated explosions in the prison center in an attempt to assassinate Adolfo Macías and Júnior Roldán, leaders of Los Choneros.[24][25]
  • 27 September: Fausto Cobo leaves his post as director of the SNAI after Lasso appointed him director of the Center for Strategic Intelligence. In his place Bolívar Garzón Espinosa was appointed.[23]
  • 28 September: The September 2021 Guayaquil prison riot occurred. It left 123 inmates murdered, which made it the deadliest prison massacre in the history of the country and one of the deadliest in Latin American history.[26][5]

October

  • 14 October: Four inmates were found hanged at Litoral Penitentiary.[27]
  • 22 October: Olympic sprinter Álex Quiñónez was shot to death in a deliberate attack by hit men in the Colinas de la Florida sector of northern Guayaquil.[28]
  • 23 October: Seven inmates were found hanged at Litoral Penitentiary.[29]
  • 28 October: Lasso declares a 60-day state of emergency to deal with the security crisis.[2] The emergency allowed the military to go out to patrol the main cities.[30]

November

  • 2 November: A shootout occurs at Litoral Penitentiary that leaves three prisoners dead.[31]
  • 6 November: During a police operation in Machala, five members of Los Lobos gang were arrested.[32]
  • 10 November:
    • Álex Salazar, leader of Los Tiguerones, was released from Litoral Penitentiary after serving 60% of his sentence.[33]
    • After Salazar was released, clashes broke out at Litoral Penitentiary, leaving three dead.[34]
  • 12 November:
    • Three inmates who had escaped from Litoral Penitentiary were captured at dawn when they tried to re-enter the prison center bringing an arsenal of rifles, ammunition, grenades and dynamite.[35]
    • The November 2021 Guayaquil prison riot occurred. It left 65 inmates murdered and began when members of Los Choneros attacked pavilion 2 of the penitentiary, which was under the control of Los Chone Killers.[36][37] While Los Choneros focused their attacks against pavilion 2, inmates from the other pavilions attacked the transitory area of the penitentiary, which ended up being the place where the greatest number of murders took place.[38]
  • 14 November: Bolívar Garzón Espinosa, director of the National Service for Comprehensive Attention to Persons Deprived of Liberty (SNAI), submits his resignation. President Lasso temporarily entrusts the position to Fausto Cobo.[39]
  • 17 November: Michelle Macías, daughter of Adolfo Macías, who was one of the leaders of Los Choneros, was kidnapped in Manta along with a classmate after leaving class.[40] Four days later, she was rescued by the National Anti-Kidnapping and Extortion Investigation Unit.[41]

December

  • 8 December: Lasso appoints Pablo Ramírez as the new director of the National Comprehensive Care Service for Persons Deprived of Liberty (SNAI).[23]
  • 16 December: Lasso signs an executive decree by which he creates a Commission for Penitentiary Dialogue and Pacification.[42]

2022

January

  • 21 January: A massacre occurred in the Playita del Guasmo sector of southern Guayaquil, after 15 subjects arrived in boats and shot at people who were in a sports field. The incident left 5 dead and 9 injured.[43][44][45]
  • 23 January: General Tannya Varela, Commander General of the National Police, was removed from office by President Guillermo Lasso. Her successor was General Carlos Fernando Cabrera.[46]

February

  • 1 February: A shooting took place at the Coop Unión de Bananeros, leaving one person dead and 4 wounded.[47]
  • 4 February: Simultaneous raids in the cities of Guayaquil, Quito, Quevedo and Samborondón lead to the capture of ten members of Los Lobos.[48]
  • 11 February: A new shooting occurred in the Playita del Guasmo sector of southern Guayaquil. The incident left four dead and one injured.[49]
  • 14 February: Two corpses were found hanging from a pedestrian bridge in Durán. Both victims had criminal records for drug trafficking.[50]
  • 20 February: A 21-year-old man was abandoned by unknown persons next to his home, in northern Guayaquil, with an explosive device tied to his head, it exploded moments later and scattered his remains in a radius of 30 meters.[51]

March

  • 6 March: Seven people were killed and three injured after an attack by hit men in the Las Malvinas sector of southern Guayaquil.[52]
  • 11 March: During a police operation in Quevedo, four members Los Choneros were arrested, including one of its leaders.[53]
  • 24 March: A massacre occurred at the Eclipse nightclub in Esmeraldas. The incident left five people dead and nine injured. Members of Los Tiguerones and Los Gangsters were involved in the event.[54][55]

2023

February

July

August

  • 9 August: Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated while leaving a campaign rally in Quito.[58] In a video, masked men claiming to belong to the Los Lobos crime group claimed responsibility for the attack. Shortly after, another video released in which men also claiming to belong to Los Lobos denied having a role in the attack.[59][60]
  • 14 August: Pedro Briones, a leader of the Citizen Revolution Movement party, was shot and killed in Esmeraldas Province.[61]

2024

January

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Turkewitz, Julie (12 July 2023). "How a Peaceful Country Became a Gold Rush State for Drug Cartels". The New York Times.
  2. 1 2 3 González, Mario Alexis (2021-10-20). "Narcotráfico, asesinatos y cárceles precipitaron la emergencia de seguridad". Primicias. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  3. ↑ "Peru's coca leaf cultivation reaches record high in 2022". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  4. 1 2 Glatsky, Genevieve; León Cabrera, José María (17 August 2023). "How Narco Traffickers Unleashed Violence and Chaos in Ecuador". The New York Times.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Loaiza, Yalilé (2021-09-30). "Choneros vs Lobos: cómo son las dos megabandas con 20.000 presos que están provocando un baño de sangre en las cárceles de Ecuador" [Choneros vs. Lobos: how are the two mega-gangs with 20,000 prisoners who are causing a bloodbath in the prisons of Ecuador]. Infobae (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  6. 1 2 González, Mario Alexis (2021-12-27). "Ecuador cerrará 2021 con la peor crisis de seguridad de la década". Primicias. Archived from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  7. ↑ "Todos contra Los Choneros, las bandas quieren su espacio en cárceles". La Hora. 2021-10-03. Archived from the original on 2021-11-20. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  8. ↑ Medina, Fernando (2022-04-02). "503 personas perdieron la vida en las cárceles de Ecuador". El Comercio. Archived from the original on 2022-04-21. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  9. ↑ "Homicidios, motines carcelarios y estado de excepción: ¿por qué hay una ola de violencia en Ecuador?". CNN. 2021-10-20. Archived from the original on 2021-11-16. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  10. ↑ "Tasa de homicidios de 2021 fue la más alta en ocho años". La Hora. 2022-01-26. Archived from the original on 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  11. ↑ González, Mario Alexis (2021-09-24). "Ecuador camina hacia la tasa de muertes violentas más alta desde 2012". Primicias. Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  12. ↑ "Estas son las cinco provincias con más muertes violentas en lo que va del 2022". El Universo. 2022-02-17. Archived from the original on 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  13. ↑ Palomino, Sammy (2021-03-11). "Motines del 23 de febrero en Ecuador resultaron en la sexta peor masacre carcelaria de la historia suramericana". Anadolu Agency. Archived from the original on 2022-04-24. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  14. ↑ "Patricio Pazmiño, el ministro 15 que renuncia en medio de un escándalo". La Hora. 2021-03-05. Archived from the original on 2021-11-07. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  15. ↑ "Cinco miembros de una banda de narcotraficantes fueron detenidos en Guayaquil; pertenecen a Los Choneros". El Comercio. 2021-03-31. Archived from the original on 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  16. ↑ "El número de personas asesinadas en la Penitenciaría de Guayaquil asciende a cinco, según la Fiscalía". El Comercio. 2021-04-28. Archived from the original on 2021-05-11. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  17. ↑ "Fiscal se abstuvo de acusar al presunto cabecilla de los Chone Killers por delincuencia organizada; él salió de la Penitenciaría del Litoral". El Comercio. 2021-05-30. Archived from the original on 2021-07-01. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  18. ↑ "14 miembros de la banda de Los Choneros fueron detenidos en Guayaquil". El Comercio. 2021-06-04. Archived from the original on 2021-07-02. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  19. ↑ "Mafias incendian dos barcos pesqueros en Posorja; uno de estos pertenecía al jefe de Los Choneros en esa zona". El Comercio. 2021-06-08. Archived from the original on 2021-06-12. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  20. ↑ "Enfrentamientos en la Penitenciaría del Litoral dejaron un fallecido y seis heridos". El Comercio. 2021-06-13. Archived from the original on 2021-06-23. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  21. ↑ "Explosivos y granadas en el motín de Cotopaxi dejaron daños en puertas, paredes, techos". El Comercio. 2021-07-30. Archived from the original on 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  22. ↑ González, Miguel Angel (2021-07-25). "Crisis carcelaria: 'Pitos' sin solución a la vista". Extra. Archived from the original on 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  23. 1 2 3 "El constante cambio de autoridades carcelarias no frenó las masacres". El Comercio. 2022-04-06. Archived from the original on 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  24. ↑ "SNAI informa que hubo ataque con drones a la cárcel Regional de Guayaquil, la madrugada de este lunes 13". El Universo. 2021-09-13. Archived from the original on 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  25. ↑ Carrión, Stalin (2022-09-13). "Ataque con drones en la Penitenciaría de Guayaquil: estos son los detalles". Expreso. Archived from the original on 2022-04-24. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  26. ↑ "Ecuador: al menos 118 muertos en una cárcel de Guayaquil en enfrentamientos entre bandas rivales con granadas y decapitaciones". BBC. 2021-09-29. Archived from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  27. ↑ "Cuatro reos son hallados colgados en la Penitenciaría del Litoral". El Comercio. 2021-10-14. Archived from the original on 2021-10-14. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  28. ↑ "Álex Quiñónez sería una víctima colateral en el ataque que lo mató". El Comercio. 2021-10-23. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  29. ↑ "Siete presos fueron encontrados colgados en la Penitenciaría del Litoral". El Comercio. 2021-10-23. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  30. ↑ "¿Es suficiente el estado de excepción para frenar la criminalidad? Expertos en seguridad hacen otras sugerencias". El Universo. 2021-10-24. Archived from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  31. ↑ "Tres fallecidos durante balacera en la Penitenciaría del Litoral". El Comercio. 2021-11-02. Archived from the original on 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  32. ↑ Medina, Fernando (2021-11-06). "Cinco miembros de la banda de Los Lobos son detenidos en El Oro". El Comercio. Archived from the original on 2022-01-22. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  33. ↑ "Álex Salazar, cabecilla de Los Tiguerones, cumplió el 60% de su pena". El Comercio. 2022-11-11. Archived from the original on 2022-01-10. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  34. ↑ "Con detonaciones despiden a jefe de 'Los Tiguerones' en Penitenciaría del Litoral". El Comercio. 2021-11-10. Archived from the original on 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  35. ↑ "Tres reos intentaron ingresar arsenal a la Penitenciaría". El Comercio. 2021-11-12. Archived from the original on 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  36. ↑ "Asciende a 65 el número de reos asesinados en la Penitenciaría del Litoral". Ecuavisa. 2021-11-23. Archived from the original on 2022-04-24. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  37. ↑ Noroña, Karol (2021-11-13). "Cuarta masacre en la Penitenciaría del Litoral: al menos 58 personas fallecidas". GKCity. Archived from the original on 2021-11-13. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
  38. ↑ "Siete horas se tomó la Policía para intervenir en la Penitenciaría". El Comercio. 2021-11-18. Archived from the original on 2021-11-17. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  39. ↑ "Removido el director del SNAI, Fausto Cobo nuevamente a cargo". El Universo. 2021-11-14. Archived from the original on 2021-11-27. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  40. ↑ "Hija de alias 'Fito', presuntamente secuestrada en Manta". Primicias. 2021-11-18. Archived from the original on 2021-11-18. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  41. ↑ "La hija de alias Fito fue liberada". GKCity. 2021-11-21. Archived from the original on 2021-11-22. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  42. ↑ "Guillermo Lasso firma decreto de creación de comisión para el diálogo y pacificación del sistema carcelario de Ecuador". El Universo. 2021-11-16. Archived from the original on 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  43. ↑ "Esto se sabe del tiroteo ocurrido la noche del viernes en la Playita del Guasmo, en el sur de Guayaquil". El Universo. 2022-01-22. Archived from the original on 2022-01-22. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  44. ↑ "Masacre en el sur de Guayaquil deja cinco muertos y nueve heridos". Primicias. 2022-01-22. Archived from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  45. ↑ "Matanza en Playita del Guasmo apunta a venganza de Los Lagartos". El Comercio. 2022-01-22. Archived from the original on 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  46. ↑ Abril, Lizette (2022-01-23). "Lasso remueve a Varela de la Comandancia de la Policía". El Comercio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  47. ↑ "Cuatro personas resultaron heridas tras una balacera en el Guasmo sur". 1 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  48. ↑ "10 miembros de 'Los Lobos' fueron detenidos". El Comercio. 2022-02-04. Archived from the original on 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  49. ↑ Menèndez, Teresa (2022-02-11). "Cuatro fallecidos en nueva balacera cerca de la Playita del Guasmo". Primicias. Archived from the original on 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  50. ↑ "Esto se conoce de los asesinados colgados que conmocionaron Durán". El Comercio. 2022-02-15. Archived from the original on 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  51. ↑ "En Guayaquil asesinan a joven con explosivo en la cabeza". El Comercio. 2022-02-20. Archived from the original on 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  52. ↑ "Siete personas fallecidas por ataque de sicarios en el sur de Guayaquil". 2022-03-07. Archived from the original on 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  53. ↑ "Cabecilla de Los Choneros, capturado con armas y municiones". El Comercio. 2022-03-11. Archived from the original on 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  54. ↑ "Reporte preliminar indica el motivo de la masacre en un centro nocturno de Esmeraldas". Vistazo. 2022-03-25. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  55. ↑ "Masacre en Ecuador mientras miraban el partido de Selección en 'night club'". El Comercio. 2022-03-25. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  56. ↑ Buschschlüter, Vanessa (2023-02-07). "Ecuador polls: Murdered candidate elected as mayor". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  57. ↑ Buschschlüter, Vanessa (2023-07-24). "Agustín Intriago: Ecuadorean mayor shot dead in port city". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  58. ↑ Regan, Jonny Hallam,Ana Maria Cañizares,Karol Suarez,Helen (2023-08-10). "Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio assassinated at campaign event". CNN. Retrieved 2023-08-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  59. ↑ "Ecuador politician murder: Prison gangs in terror reign". BBC News. 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  60. ↑ "Who is Los Lobos?". www.worldbulletin.net. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  61. ↑ "Second Ecuador politician killed in less than a week". BBC News. 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
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