Thrifty Banker
  • Politics
  • Business
  • World
  • Investing
  • Politics
  • Business
  • World
  • Investing

Thrifty Banker

World

Gang leader’s prison break puts restive Ecuador on high alert

by January 9, 2024
January 9, 2024
Gang leader’s prison break puts restive Ecuador on high alert

Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa on Monday declared a state of emergency for the South American nation after a notorious gang leader escaped from prison, heightening security fears as authorities struggle to control the bloodshed of a bloody criminal turf war.

José Adolfo Macías Villamar, leader of the feared Los Choneros drug cartel better known by his alias “Fito,” escaped from prison in the coastal city of Guayaquil on Sunday, according to authorities. More than 3,000 police officers and members of the armed forces have been deployed to search for him, the government said.

The state of emergency will last for 60 days and imposes a nightly curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., Noboa said Monday, adding it grants security forces “all the political and legal support for their actions.”

“The time is over when drug trafficking convicts, hitmen, and organized crime dictate to the government what to do,” Noboa said in a video announcement. He did not mention Fito’s escape.

Noboa, the son of a banana tycoon, became president in November following an election driven by concerns over rising violence and a worsening security situation in the Latin American nation just months after the high-profile assassination of another presidential candidate, Fernando Villavicencio.

On Monday, Noboa said he had authorized security forces to retake control of Ecuador’s restive prison system, which he said, “has been lost in recent years.”

Ecuador, home to the Galapagos islands and a tourist-friendly dollar economy, was once known as an “island of peace,” nestled between two of the world’s largest cocaine producers, Peru and Colombia.

But Ecuador’s deep ports have made it a key transit point for cocaine making its way to consumers in the United States and Europe. And its dollarized economy also makes it a strategic location for traffickers seeking to launder money.

Fito was sentenced in 2011 to 34 years in prison for crimes including drug trafficking and murder, according to Reuters.

Authorities accuse the Choneros of controlling Ecuador’s main prisons, which have long been the main theater of violence in the country. Security forces have struggled to confront the gangs inside overcrowded prisons, where inmates often take control of branches of the penitentiaries and run criminal networks from behind bars, according to authorities.

Following Fito’s escape, Ecuador’s prison agency on Sunday reported “incidents” in at least six prisons in different provinces.

This post appeared first on cnn.com
0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
US citizen detained in Russia on alleged drug charges, Moscow court says
next post
House-proud mouse discovered tidying British man’s shed every night

Related Posts

Western ammo stocks at ‘bottom of the barrel’...

October 4, 2023

How to watch the first crewed flight of...

May 6, 2024

Mountaineer denies ignoring dying porter on K2 record-breaking...

August 12, 2023

Iran braces for low elections turnout as calls...

February 28, 2024

US and Russia swap prisoners in deal that...

April 10, 2025

Austria offers free rail travel for a year...

August 26, 2023

New York Yankees and Oakland A’s fall to...

August 14, 2023

Iran extends Nobel Prize winner’s prison sentence

January 16, 2024

Kansas City Chiefs bounce back, Dallas Cowboys cruise...

September 18, 2023

Switzerland’s glaciers lose ‘mind-blowing’ volume of ice in...

September 28, 2023

    Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest insights, updates, and exclusive content straight to your inbox! Whether it's industry news, expert advice, or inspiring stories, we bring you valuable information that you won't find anywhere else. Stay connected with us!


    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Popular

    • 1

      Top 10 Countries for Natural Gas Production (Updated 2024)

      April 6, 2024
    • 2

      Understanding Lithium Mineralogy from an Investment Perspective

      September 12, 2023
    • 3

      US Capital Global Facilitates $50MM Financing to Accelerate Charbone Hydrogen’s North American Expansion

      June 6, 2025
    • 4

      Israel confirms it is arming Hamas rivals in operation opposition calls ‘complete madness’

      June 6, 2025
    • 5

      A GOP operative accused a monastery of voter fraud. Nuns fought back.

      January 3, 2025
    • 6

      Crypto Market Recap: Strategy Eyes US$1B Raise for Bitcoin Push, UK Regulator Reverses ETN Ban

      June 6, 2025
    • 7

      China’s aircraft carriers send message in the open Pacific for the first time – and bigger and more powerful ships are coming

      June 16, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (1,053)
    • Investing (2,079)
    • Politics (2,977)
    • Uncategorized (20)
    • World (3,387)
    • About us
    • Contact us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: thriftybanker.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 thriftybanker.com | All Rights Reserved