If the leader of the Choneros gang, Adolfo Macias a.k.a “Fito” is still free, his men are subject to increasing pressure from the Ecuadorian police and military. On the morning of Wednesday, January 24, a large dragnet took place in the Nueva Prosperina sector in Guayaquil, the largest city in the country.
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With our special correspondent in Guayaquil, Eric Samson
It was at 4:30 a.m. that the police surprised Pedro Oviedo, a.k.a “Penguin” at home, with his brother. Once their door was broken down, the two men did not put up any resistance despite the machine gun and the revolver found in their home. “ The Penguin ” was the main objective of this raid, according to Lieutenant Colonel Roberto Santamaria, head of the Nueva Prosperina district.
“ He was the administrator of this territory. He managed the money from extortion, he planned the kidnappings and above all he recruited minors to introduce them into organized crime. He depended on the Choneros group and worked for the Fatales, linked to the Eagles “, he said.
“100% Chonero”
Stolen motorcycles, drugs, cell phones, communications equipment, cameras, weapons and cash were seized. “The Penguin” made no secret of his commitments, with a silver chain and a poster proudly displaying “100% Chonero”. He fell into a neighborhood forgotten by everyone.
“ In 2023, the City of God in Nueva Prosperina was the most dangerous place in Guayaquil, Ecuador and, for rate of violent deaths by population density, the third most dangerous in the world », Continues Lieutenant-Colonel Roberto Santamaria.
Last year, 560 people were killed in this muddy slum. Even before the end of January, 43 murders had been recorded. There are only 5 left today, a drop of 88% which the authorities attribute to the massive presence of law enforcement now on the offensive against 22 organized crime groups now considered terrorists.
Read alsoEcuador: relaxation of curfew rules except in Guayaquil
A lighter curfew and a falling homicide rate, according to the authorities
Ecuador, at war against drug trafficking and criminal groups, on Tuesday eased the curfew imposed 15 days ago as part of the state of emergency which has made it possible to drastically drop the number of daily homicides . In 10 of the country’s 24 provinces, the curfew was notably to be reduced by one hour, from midnight local time (5 a.m. UT) to 5 a.m. (10 a.m. UT), according to a decision by President Daniel Noboa announced on Tuesday.
These high-risk areas include the southwest port of Guayaquil, an epicenter of gang violence and a hub for cocaine shipping to the United States and Europe, as well as the capital Quito. Thanks to the state of emergency, decreed on January 8 for a period of 60 days, with the deployment of more than 22,000 soldiers in the streets, there is “ a downward trend in violent deaths, with an average of 10.8 (homicides) per day ” Police Commander César Zapata said at a joint press conference.
Between January 1 and 8, this figure averaged 27.6 per day. Once among the calmest countries in the region, Ecuador is now one of the most violent countries in Latin America. Homicides there increased by 800% between 2018 and 2023, going from 6 to 46 per 100,000 inhabitants. The country has been facing an unprecedented wave of criminal violence since January 7, following the announcement of the escape of a dangerous gang leader, Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito”.
President Noboa declared a state of emergency after riots in prisons, hostage-taking and attacks against law enforcement and in neighborhoods. Members of the 22 criminal gangs identified in the country are now considered “terrorists” and military targets, while the country has been recognized as being in a state of “internal armed conflict”. According to Commander Zapata, “3,219 terrorists” were arrested and five were killed. Vehicles, boats, weapons and other explosives were seized in large numbers, as well as 22 tonnes of drugs.
(With AFP)