2023-04-21 07:05:00
So far in 2023, the Police have seized more than 53 tons of drugs. Photo: National Police.
He Government has his theory regarding the increase in the violence of the criminal gangs in Ecuador. Although, the drug seizure has increased in the last two years, experts question whether this is the only explanation for the rebound in other crimes.
The person in charge of positioning this theory was the former Secretary of Security, Diego Ordonez. He stated that given the level of seizure of narcoticsthe gangs migrate to other types of crimes to sustain their operation.
That same speech has been replicated by president, Guillermo Lasso. In his interview with CNN, broadcast on Sunday, April 16, Lasso said: “They have no drugs to trade. Her criminal capacity mutates towards extortion, blackmail and kidnapping attempts and violent deaths. They are fights between organized criminal groups.”
What do the figures say?
According to the National Anti-drug Investigation Directorate, 2021 was the year in which the most kilograms of drugs were seized. The seizure of 210,181 kilograms of narcotics was recorded. In 2020 there were 128,432 kilograms and in 2019 79,529 kilograms were reported.
According to the Policethe report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) ranked Ecuador in 2020 as the third country in the Region with the most drug seizures.
In addition, that same report indicates that it is one of the main transit countries for drug trafficking in the region, especially for the shipment of cocaine toward USA y Europa.
Last March, UNODC published its latest report. It states that “the world cocaine production has shot up sharply in the past two years after an initial slowdown caused by the covid-19 pandemic”.
Ecuador is one of the countries mentioned in the report. He says that it is important for the release of cocaine from at least three points: Guayas, Esmeraldas and Manabi. The three provinces, for example, are the most affected by the criminal violence.
Police data also shows an increase in other crimes such as homicides and the extortions. For example, between January and February 2022 there were 971 homicides. In the same period, but this year, 1,636 were reported.
Regarding extortions, in the same period, but from 2022, 1,566 were reported; while this year the figure has already risen to 2,600.
An explanation that is not enough
Luis Cordovadirector of the Order, Conflict and Violence program at the Universidad Central y Carolina Andradean expert in security issues, agree that the increase in seizures is related to the increase in drug production.
But growth of other types of crimes, is not necessarily the cause of that. Córdova says that organized crime works like a network. Criminal groups try to be part of it diversifying your services.
For this they resort to violence and threats. This is how the existence of zones is configured in which these bands already dictate the way of society behavior.
Andrade locates in the death of scratch, who was the leader of Los Choneros (2020), the starting point for the increase in other types of crimes. He says that common crime groups seek to strengthen themselves to be part of the networks of groups from Colombia, Mexico and Albania.
Both experts also agree that as long as the focus on security is not changed, there will be no results. Córdova mentions that an important point is to understand that crime is organized to the extent that it has agents of the same state working for them. So it’s not just a fight against criminal gangs.
the new strategy
The Government analyzes declaring to the criminal gangs as terrorists. Last Wednesday, the Minister of Government, Henry Cucalon said in Ecuavisa that this would allow the Armed forces act against the advance of organized crime.
This is not the only measure to make the participation of the Armed Forces viable. In the Assembly there is also a government initiative to allow their participation in the internal order, without the need for a Exception status.
Córdova raises objections to the declaration as terrorists. He believes that this could lead the country to a unprecedented conflict. Remember that this initiative coincides with the proposal of a sector of US Republican senators who presented a project for the authorization of the use of military forces against the cartels.
That would allow the president of EU. involve your Armed Forces in the confrontation with the Mexican cartels.
“If in Ecuador they continue with the idea that those who operate are the cartels of Jalisco New Generation or the one from Sinaloa, we are going to open the doors not only for the intervention of the FF. AA of Ecuador but also of Pentagon”.
Córdova stated that the Executive requires a change of concept. He says that I should start with form a special force to do intelligence and law enforcement work. But its conformation must be select because the current apparatuses are co-opted by crime.
For Andrade, the important thing is that decisions are made based on evidence. He believes that the government’s worst mistake is politicize the conflict.
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