Military commanders were seen attacking and rounding up gang members in an Ecuador prison in search of weapons and drugs amid a wave of gang war violence and murders within the complex.
Armed soldiers stormed Manabí Detention Center N4, also known as El Rodeo Prison, in Portoviejo, Manabí, on June 5.
Images from inside the prison captured inmates kneeling, hands clasped behind their necks: bare torsos and tattoos on display.
Others can be seen wearing orange jumpsuits and sitting in rows on the ground as dozens of armed army officers stand guard with their firearms drawn.
Masked and helmeted soldiers forced their way through cells and were photographed on the floor next to an inmate’s bunk as they used torches to search under furniture.
Armed soldiers stormed Ecuador’s El Rodeo prison on June 5 while searching for drugs and weapons inside the facility.
Inmates were photographed sitting on the floor with their hands behind their heads as military officers searched the prison.
Some inmates were seen topless while waiting for officials to finish their task.
Soldiers entered the El Rodeo prison to carry out a search in the midst of a spiral of murders, in Portoviejo, Ecuador
Officials were seen in the cells as they used torches to search under inmates’ bunks.
“We are sure that there are many weapons that we have not yet found in prisons because they are underground hiding places,” 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 the interventions last up to a week.
According to a local report from first fruitsThe soldiers banged on the walls with tools in an attempt to detect any hollow sounds that would allow them to identify the inmates’ coves.
They also allegedly used pickaxes to break down walls while searching pipes and bathrooms for any signs of drugs or weapons.
Since June 4, the police and the Armed Forces installed their command centers in Manabí to confront organized crime and the gang war that in recent years has largely developed in Ecuador’s prisons.
In the streets of Manabí, soldiers were seen patrolling the area in a convoy with heavy artillery and even tanks after leaving the Eloy Alfaro air base.
The first military operation was carried out in the La Pradera neighborhood, after five people were killed and another seven were injured after an armed attack on May 20.
Military commanders are now ready to begin the fight against the “narco-terrorist gangs”, namely Los Choneros and Los Lobos, who are currently in a war over drug trafficking.
The December 2020 murder of Jorge Luis Zambrano González, leader of the violent Los Choneros gang, sparked a violent power struggle in Ecuador that came to a head in February 2021 when several subgroups, including Los Tiguerones, banded together to attack the original gang in three prisons.
The inmates were lined up in groups while armed soldiers stood guard beside them.
Soldiers were seen located both on the roof of the prison and on the floor.
Army officers stormed El Rodeo with a tank while dozens of uniformed officers followed them on foot.
According to a local report from Primicias, the military hit the walls with tools to try to detect hollow sounds that would allow them to identify the inmates’ coves.
Ecuadorian military personnel seen stationed on the roof while watching inmates
Some 500 agents from the preventive, investigation and intelligence units of the National Police have also been deployed to try to control the violence.
The prison massacres, among the bloodiest ever experienced in Latin America, left 79 inmates dead and dozens more seriously injured.
When the forces arrived on June 4, César Zapata, commander of the National Police, said that they will work in conflict points within the city, while reinforcing actions in Portoviejo, Guayaquil and Los Ríos.
Some 500 agents from the preventive, investigation and intelligence units of the National Police have also been deployed in an attempt to control the violence.
Bloody battles in Ecuadorian prisons have left hundreds of inmates dead since 2021, and their bodies are often found dismembered, decapitated or cremated.
At least 460 inmates have died in bloody massacres, usually the result of clashes between rival drug gangs with ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels vying for control.
This violence has also spread to the streets of Ecuador, where last year the country reported 47 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, 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,” said Loffredo.
In the streets of Manabí, soldiers were seen patrolling the area in a convoy with heavy artillery.
The soldiers were even seen with tanks after leaving the Eloy Alfaro air base
An Ecuadorian Navy sailor 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 spread to the streets of Ecuador, where last year the country reported 47 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to six per 100,000 in 2018.
Ecuadorian deputy Cristhian Nieto, 34, and his partner Nicole Burgos were murdered in cold blood in a savage attack on Sunday night in Manta.
The country, ravaged by crime and violence, saw just three days ago the Ecuadorian deputy Cristhian Nieto, 34, and his partner Nicole Burgos, shot dead by hitmen while they were waiting in line with children to enter a circus.
A third person was also killed and a journalist injured in the surprise attack on Sunday night in the port city of Manta.
The murdered politician was interviewed moments before the attack occurred as he led children to their seats inside the circus, and said of the event: “This has been a total success.” Equipped for three days in a row.
Ecuador’s National Assembly, the equivalent of the House of Commons, said in a statement overnight: ‘We deeply regret the murder of MP Cristhian Nieto and his wife Nicole Burgos in the city of Manta.
‘We want to send a message of solidarity to his family and friends.
“We feel deep pain for what happened and we 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 a living from criminal activities such as drug trafficking, extortion and kidnappings, and have promised revenge.
