A state of emergency throughout the territory of Ecuador, including the prison system, was declared yesterday by the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, after the escape of public danger number one, the notorious “Fito” – his real name is Jose Adolfo Macias – the head of the Los Tsoneros gangand prison uprisings.
“I signed a decree” declaring a “state of emergency” so that “the armed forces have every political and legal support for their actions,” Mr Noboa said via Instagram.
The decree authorizes the military to operate to enforce order on the streets and in prisons, while a curfew is in effect from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. (local time).
Security forces are working to locate “this extremely dangerous person”, who escaped yesterday Sunday, “a few hours” before a control operation in the prison of Guayaquil (south), said the government's communications secretary Roberto Izurieta.
The prosecution made it known yesterday through X (the former Twitter) that it is conducting an investigation against two prison officials who allegedly facilitated the escape of “Fito”. The thug had been serving a 34-year prison sentence since 2011 for his leading role in an organized crime gang, drug trafficking and murder.
The day before Sunday, the police chief admitted to the press that the leader of the Tsoneros gang was missing, not “where he should be”, that is, in a cell of the maximum security wing of the prison in the large port of Ecuador. Prosecutors began an investigation into the “alleged escape” of the 44-year-old, leader of a gang that experts say has around 8,000 members and has become a key player in the drug trade that flourishes in Ecuador.
“Fito” had also escaped in 2013, together with other prisoners, from a maximum security prison. He was arrested after three months, as reported by Agence France-Presse and rebroadcast by Athenian Agency.
Mr Issurieta criticized the “level of infiltration” of gangs into the state apparatus, which he described as “very high”, while he described the prison system as “failed”.
“The search (for “Fito”) continues (…) He will be found, he must be found,” he said, referring to this “criminal with extremely dangerous characteristics, whose activities show characteristics of terrorism.”
“We do not negotiate with terrorists and we will not stop until we have restored peace for all its citizens Equatorial“, said Mr. Noboa.
Hostage guards
Police and military yesterday, heavily armed, entered several prisons in the country where there were riots, especially those where guards had been kidnapped.
Footage uploaded to social networking sites showed guards being held by hooded men with knives, who demanded that the authorities act with “prudence” and “not send the army inside the prisons”.
Video later released by the military showed prisoners in a prison yard with their hands on their heads. The Directorate of Prisons (SNAI) assured that there were no injuries in the “incidents”.
“We took measures that allowed us to regain control” of the prisons, President Noboa said.
“Fito” has repeatedly grabbed the headlines in Ecuador since the assassination in early August of one of the main presidential candidates. The victim, a former journalist and parliamentarian, complained shortly before he was killed by a group of Colombian executioners that he had received threats from the leader of the Tsoneros.
“Fito”, with long hair and a beard, is said to be a rather charismatic person. He studied law in prison and received a law degree. A song in praise of him, created by a Mexican music group, with the video clip containing images taken inside his prison cell, recently made the rounds on social networking sites.
Ecuador, a country that has become in recent years a transit center for the trafficking of cocaine to the US and European markets, is being swept by a wave of gang violence.
From 2018 to 2023, the homicide rate increased by almost 800%, from 6 to 46 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Prisons have turned into a theater of repeated massacres, due to the merciless clash of rival gangs. Since February 2021, dozens have been committed, with a total of more than 460 dead inmates. The authorities so far seem unable to really control the situation.
Mr. Noboa, the son of a tycoon, was elected in the fall of 2023 promising to tackle insecurity and regain control of prisons.
Source: News Beast
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