The Ecuadorian army has rescued 49 miners who were kidnapped by Los Lobos, one of the South American country’s most ruthless gangs.
Footage shows troops walking through a forest in the rural town of Santa Martha, 350 kilometres (220 miles) south of the capital Quito, before finding the group in a makeshift camp on Wednesday.
The military said the soldiers initially faced gunfire from at least 23 members of Los Lobos before fleeing. No injuries were reported.
Later in the operation, the troops came across a camp covered with tarpaulins and poles, where the miners were found kneeling on the ground with their hands behind their necks.
The soldiers were able to overpower the two gang members without any problems.
Ecuadorian soldiers rescued 49 miners in an operation in the city of Santa Martha on Wednesday. The military said the troops were met with gunfire from 23 members of Los Lobos, one of the most powerful gangs in the country, before they were able to escape. The troops continued to search the area until they found the hostages, who were being guarded by two gang members
A Los Lobos member is questioned by the military after a troop unit rescues 49 miners
A video recorded by one of the soldiers showed a soldier interrogating a gang member who claimed to be from Colombia.
While searching the camp, troops found the bodies of five people who had been killed earlier. Four of the bodies had been hacked to pieces.
Ecuador is struggling with increasing violent crime. President Daniel Noboa has therefore declared a state of emergency several times. Under this state of emergency, the army patrols the streets and prisons.
He also designated 22 criminal gangs, including Los Lobos, as terrorist organizations.
Ecuadorian soldiers and police guard four of the 49 miners rescued on Wednesday
Ecuadorian troops reveal the loot of weapons they found and collected
The hostages, 49 miners in total, were found kneeling in a makeshift camp by the Ecuadorian army after the military had engaged in a gun battle with members of Lobos, one of the most powerful criminal structures in the South American country.
In June, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Los Lobos and its leader Wilmer “Pipo” Chavarria.
The criminal organization, which has thousands of members, is considered Ecuador’s largest drug trafficking organization and fuels violence across the country.
“Drug trafficking groups with ties to powerful drug cartels are threatening the lives and livelihoods of communities in Ecuador and across South and Central America,” Brian E. Nelson, the Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.
Los Lobos began as a group of hitmen led by their biggest rival, Los Choneros. However, the murder of Los Choneros leader Jorge Zambrano in December 2020 left a power vacuum, leading to a series of attacks by Los Lobos and their allies on Los Choneros members in prison.
Los Lobos has increased its power by aligning itself with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Mexico’s most powerful criminal organization.
The gang was accused of plotting the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023.