Military commanders were seen raiding and rounding up gang members in a prison in Ecuador in search of weapons and drugs, amid a wave of gang war violence and killings at the compound.
Armed soldiers stormed the Manabi N4 Detention Center, also known as El Rodeo Prison, in Portoviejo, Manabi on June 5.
Images from inside the prison captured prisoners on their knees, with their hands tied behind their necks – naked torsos and tattoos on full display.
Others can be seen donning orange jumpsuits and sitting in rows on the ground as dozens of armed army officials stand guard with their firearms in hand.
Masked and helmeted soldiers made their way through the cells and were pictured on the floor next to a prisoner’s bunk bed as they searched under the furniture with torches.
Armed soldiers stormed the Ecuadorian prison El Rodeo on June 5 while hunting for drugs and weapons in the compound
Detainees sat on the floor with their hands behind their heads as military officials searched the prison
Some prisoners were seen topless as they waited for officials to complete their task
Soldiers entered El Rodeo prison to conduct a search amid a spiral of killings in Portoviejo, Ecuador
Officials were seen in cells searching under prisoners’ bunk beds with torches
“We are sure that there are many weapons that we have not yet found in the prisons because they are underground caches,” Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo said on FM Mundo radio on Wednesday.
He also added that in 12 of the country’s 36 prisons there is now a permanent military presence, while in the others interventions last up to a week.
According to a local report from Primiciasthe soldiers smashed tools against the walls in an attempt to detect hollow sounds that would allow them to identify the prisoners’ bays.
They also allegedly used pickaxes to break down the walls as they searched through pipes and toilets for signs of drugs or weapons.
Since June 4, police and armed forces have installed their command centers in Manabi to tackle organized crime and gang warfare, much of which has taken place in Ecuador’s prisons in recent years.
On the streets of Manabi, soldiers were seen patrolling the area in a convoy with heavy artillery and even tanks after taking off from Eloy Alfaro air base.
The first military operation was carried out in the La Pradera neighborhood after five people were killed and another seven injured following an armed attack on May 20.
Military commanders are now ready to begin the fight against ‘narco-terrorist gangs’, namely Los Choneros and Los Lobos, who are currently at war over drug trafficking.
The December 2020 murder of Jorge Luis Zambrano Gonzalez, leader of the violent Los Choneros gang, sparked a violent power struggle in Ecuador, which came to a head in February 2021 when several subgroups, including Los Tiguerones, united to form the original gang attack in threes. prisons.
The prisoners stood in groups while armed soldiers stood guard next to them
Soldiers were seen on the roof of the prison as well as on the ground
Army officials stormed El Rodeo with a tank, while dozens of uniformed officers followed on foot
According to a local report by Primicias, the soldiers smashed tools against the walls in an attempt to detect hollow sounds that would allow them to identify the prisoners’ bays.
Ecuadorian soldiers are stationed on the roof as they oversee the prisoners
About 500 officers from the National Police’s preventive, investigative and intelligence units have also been deployed in an attempt to control the violence.
The prison massacres, one of the bloodiest ever in Latin America, left 79 prisoners dead and dozens of others seriously injured.
Upon the arrival of the armed forces on June 4, Cesar Zapata, commander of the National Police, said they will work on conflict points in the city, while strengthening operations in Portoviejo, Guayaquil and Los Rios.
About 500 officers from the National Police’s preventive, investigative and intelligence units have also been deployed in an attempt to control the violence.
Bloody fighting in Ecuadorian prisons has left hundreds of prisoners dead since 2021, with their bodies often found dismembered, decapitated or burned.
At least 460 inmates have died in bloody killings, mostly due to clashes between rival drug-related gangs linked to Mexican and Colombian cartels in their struggle for control.
This violence has also reached the streets of Ecuador, with the country reporting 47 murders per 100,000 inhabitants last year, compared to six per 100,000 in 2018.
“We are facing a very dangerous enemy, very prepared, well equipped and with a lot of economic power,” Loffredo said.
Soldiers were seen on the streets of Manabi patrolling the area in a convoy with heavy artillery
The soldiers were even seen with tanks after taking off from Eloy Alfaro Air Base
A Marine from the Ecuadorian Navy searches a man at a checkpoint in Manta, Ecuador, June 4, 2024
Marines from the Ecuadorian Navy patrol the streets from an armored tank in Manta
Prison violence has also reached Ecuador’s streets, with the country reporting 47 murders per 100,000 inhabitants last year, up from six per 100,000 in 2018.
Ecuadorian MP Cristhian Nieto, 34, and his partner Nicole Burgos were murdered in cold blood in a brutal attack in Manta on Sunday evening
The country, ravaged by crime and violence, saw Ecuadorian MP Cristhian Nieto, 34, and his partner Nicole Burgos, shot by assassins as they queued alongside children to enter a circus.
The surprise attack in the port city of Manta on Sunday evening also killed a third person and injured a journalist.
The murdered politician was interviewed moments before the attack took place as he led children to their seats in the circus, and said of the event: ‘This has been a great success. Packed for three days straight.”
Ecuador’s National Assembly, the equivalent of the House of Commons, said in a statement last night: ‘We deeply regret the murder of parliamentarian Cristhian Nieto and his wife Nicole Burgos in the city of Manta.
‘We would like to send a message of solidarity to their families and friends.
“We feel deep sorrow for what has happened and hope they can find comfort after this irreparable loss.”
Last month, Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa declared a new state of emergency for five of the country’s 24 provinces as he continued his fight against violent gangs that make their money through criminal activities, including drug trafficking, extortion and kidnapping, and revenge have promised.