The Police free the canal taken by shots by hooded men from the Los Tiguerones gang

2024-01-10 00:42:48
Ecuador Noboa decrees a state of exception after the escape of the most dangerous prisoner Leader of Los Lobos Another drug trafficker escapes from prison in Ecuador despite the curfew

At least eight people have died and two others were injured in several armed attacks that occurred this Tuesday in various parts of the coastal city of Guayaquilconfirmed the mayor, Aquiles lvarez, shortly after a heavily armed group occupied the facilities of the TC Televisión channel and took the channel’s employees hostage.

The police managed to recover the canal facilities and arrested thirteen people, but in other parts of the city violent events occurred that resulted in the death of eight people, in a day of terror that devastated several cities in the country, including the capital, Quito. In Guayaquil, the epicenter of violence and the second largest city in the country, there were robberies, looting and shootings in commercial areas. Among the deceased is the singer-songwriter Diego Gallardo, known as Aire del Golfo, as confirmed by family sources.

In the north of the capital, several individuals shot at the vehicles that passed near them, which caused the death of five people and injuries to a student from a school in the area. Nearby, an armed group broke into a spare parts warehouse and murdered three people.

Live armed assault

An operation by the tactical forces of the Ecuadorian Police has managed to free the journalists, camera operators and workers of the TC Televisión Channel, kidnapped by a dozen hooded men belonging to Los Tiguerones. This is one of the “transnational organized crime groups such as terrorist organizations and belligerent non-state actors” that appear in the list made public in the presidential decree that declares the internal armed conflict, after the challenge undertaken against the State.

The criminals broke into the channel during the live broadcast and they held some hostages against the floor, amidst screams and several shots. Others managed to hide in bathrooms and offices. The kidnappers threatened and insulted those present while pointing their weapons at them, in scenes that have gone around the world. “They want to kill us all, help us!” cried the journalists, cowering and hugging each other on the ground. One of the invaders had dynamite, which he placed at the entrance door to the studios.

The emisin lasts for 15 minutes before cutting. A video made public by the Ministry of the Interior minutes later shows how the special police unit kept at least 13 attackers, already unarmed, on their knees and handcuffed.

Ecuador lives an unprecedented state of war after the challenge launched by drug traffickers and organized crime against the State. The drug traffickers responded with a wave of violence to each of the blows and initiatives undertaken by the Ecuadorian government after the declaration of the state of emergency on Monday.

Finally, the president Daniel Noboa He was forced to respond to such a fight with the declaration of internal armed conflict, never before seen in the Andean country and reminiscent of the war against the cartels waged by Felipe Calderón in Mexico during his mandate. In this way, Noboa reforms the current state of exception and orders the immediate deployment of the military.

“I have ordered the Armed Forces to carry out military operations to neutralize these groups,” stressed Noboa, who has defined the enemies of the State as “transnational organized crime groups such as terrorist organizations and belligerent non-state actors.”

The same groups that have been terrorizing Ecuadorians for a few years and that have turned Ecuador into the epicenter of drug trafficking in the Americas and the country with the highest homicide rate in the region. Their names appear in the presidential decree: guilas, guilasKiller, Ak47, Caballeros Oscuros, ChoneKiller, Covicheros, Cuartel de las Feas, Cubanos, Fatales, Gngster, Kater Piler, Lagartos, Latin Kings, Los P.27, Los Tiburones, Mafia 18 , Mafia Trbol, Patterns, R7, Tiguerones, The Choneros and The Wolves.

Precisely the leaders of the last two, the most feared in the country, have starred two movie prison escapes in recent days. To the already known drug trafficker Adolfo Macas Fito, leader of Los Choneros, the main branch of the Sinaloa cartel in Ecuador, was joined by another boss, Fabricio Coln Pico, one of the leaders of Los Lobos. The famous Captain Columbus escaped from the Chimborazo prison after provoking a confrontation with police and penitentiary agents in the early hours of yesterday.

The mafia boss has only been behind bars for a few days, since he was arrested last week accused of kidnapping. Captain Columbus was in the crosshairs of the State after the attorney general denounced Diana Salazar who was preparing an attack against her. A member of the Lobos group is also accused of participating in the assassination of investigative journalist Fernando Villavicencio, a presidential candidate murdered in August.

The escape of Colón Pico was the culmination of the first night of terror with curfew, which continued throughout yesterday. Attacks, kidnappings of agents, shootings, burning of cars, explosions, car bombs and the seizure of the Canal TC in Guayaquil were just some chapters of the war launched by the violent groups.

Part of the avenues and streets of Guayaquil, especially in the center, were closed by the authorities, who advised citizens to remain in their homes. In-person classes in schools and universities have been suspended throughout the country. Terror trapped the population in its nets, who has already been living in fear for months.

“You declared war and you are going to have war. Go out to fight in the streets yourself, do not use the police and military. Anyone found on the streets at night will be executed. This is the mafia, it is not a gang, self-conscious, wanting to be Bukele”, read the second corporal Sergio Polanco the message addressed by his kidnappers to the president.

The policeman, half-naked and holding several rifles at his pointer, stumbled through the statement, frozen with fear. Next to him, also on the ground, were his two companions, captured in Machala and taken by boat to an unknown place. At least seven police officers kidnapped by violent groupswhich the government defines as narcoterrorists.

The State and the US Embassy have offered a reward to anyone who provides information on the whereabouts of the two kingpins, including the US ambassador, Michael J. Fitzpatrick, gave his support to the Security and State Council (COSEPE).

Captain Colón escaped from the Chimborazo prison after causing a riot. When the police forces burst in to put it down, they were met with strong resistance, which included explosives and firearms. Around 40 prisoners managed to evade the controls and regain freedom, although a dozen were recaptured in the following hours.