In Ecuador, after the leader of the "Los Choneros" narco-terrorist group, Adolfo Macias, nicknamed Fito, escaped from prison in Guayaquil, armed riots began in the country - members of the gang set fire to cars and buses, there were explosions in Guayaquil. Many security forces personnel were abducted. - What is happening in Ecuador?

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency in the country on January 9, after riots by members of major criminal gangs. He called the incident an "internal armed conflict" and signed a document declaring 22 criminal gangs as terrorist organizations, sending troops and armored vehicles to the capital Quito and Gayaquil.

Also, the head of state ordered to destroy 22 criminal groups. Ecuador's armed forces have labeled gangs as legitimate military targets, while parliament has promised amnesty to security forces for abuses of power in quelling the unrest.

In response to the state of emergency declared by the president, the Ecuadorian mafia organized riots and clashes across the country. In particular, members of the drug cartel broke into the live broadcast of TC Television in Guayaquil and took several journalists and police officers hostage. Also, cars were set on fire, a number of hospitals were raided, and there were explosions. At least 13 people, including two policemen, were killed in the incidents.

What started it all?

Adolfo Macias, the leader of the "Los Choneros" group, was sentenced to 34 years in prison in 2011 for drug trafficking and murder. He will be placed in the Regional Prison (La Regional) in Guayaquil, which holds 12,000 prisoners.

Last August, Fito was transferred to La Roca, a prison with fewer prisoners and considered more reliable. However, his lawyers appealed and won, and the mafioso was sent back to La Regional prison.

Fito also escaped from this prison together with 17 other prisoners in 2013. Four months later, Fito was captured at his mother's house in Manta with his brother, who is considered a member of Los Choneros.

Since then, Fito has not left the prison. At the same time, he will take over the leadership after the death of the previous leader of the group, Jorge Luis Zambrano, in 2020, while in prison.

On January 7, the country's Attorney General's Office reported that riots broke out in six Ecuadorian penitentiaries after Adolfo Macias escaped from prison.

Where is Phyto?

Ecuadorian police said Fito was found missing from his cell on Sunday. Staff searched for him throughout the high-security wing of the prison, but were unable to find him.

It is not yet clear whether Fito escaped or is hiding inside the large prison complex. Police also don't know exactly when Fito disappeared from the cell.

According to the police chief, hundreds of police officers were and are still searching for Fito.

About the groups "Los Choneros" and "Los Lobos".

During the riots in the prisons, the leader of the second largest criminal gang in the country, "Los Lobos", also known as "Salvache" Fabricio Colon Pico escaped from the prison in the city of Riobamba with 39 prisoners. Fabricio Colón Pico was arrested last Friday on charges of preparing to kill the country's prosecutor.

"Los Choneros" and "Los Lobos" groups are the largest criminal gangs in the country, the number of members of the first group is from 12 to 20 thousand people, and the second group has 8 thousand fighters. Both groups engage in kidnapping, extortion, contract killings, and collaborate with major Mexican gangs.

Los Lobos also claimed responsibility for the August 2023 death of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

As of May 2023, Adolfo Masias has more than $23 million in the accounts of front individuals and front companies.

Bandit's wave

Ecuador has long been one of the peaceful and quiet countries. However, in recent years, the country has seen a surge in drug development, along with neighboring Colombia and Peru.

From 2018 to 2022, the number of murders in Ecuador increased 4 times. In 2022, 7,800 people died in a country with a population of 17 million . That year, the police confiscated a record 220 tons of drugs.

Bloody clashes in prisons have become a particular problem: more than 460 inmates have been killed since February 2021.

According to the Financial Times, the mafia began to develop in Ecuador during the left-wing president Rafael Correa, who ruled from 2007 to 2017. During his tenure, the government turned a blind eye to the drug trade through Ecuador's Pacific ports, largely concerned with reducing violent crime in the country.

But the drug trade was followed by banditry, and presidents after Correa failed to solve the problem.

36-year-old Daniel Noboa, who won the presidential election in October of last year, promises to put an end to the crimes that plague the country. It was his plans that caused criminal gangs to enter into a "dispute" about who has the upper hand in the country.