Organized crime is once again shaking the foundations of the State in Ecuador. César Suárez, an important Ecuadorian prosecutor who was investigating criminal groups, in addition to the takeover by a group of gang members of the public television channel TC TV, was shot dead this Wednesday inside his vehicle, while driving in the north of Guayaquil. They shot him 20 times without anyone being able to intervene, he did not have an escort. Suárez was handling some of the most important corruption cases in the country. “I don't know how he has survived so long,” concedes a source who worked closely with the prosecutor.
The response from his colleagues has been overwhelming. The State Attorney General, Diana Salazar, has assured that Suárez's death will not stop the progress of justice. “I am going to be emphatic: organized crime groups, criminals, terrorists, will not stop our commitment to Ecuadorian society. We will continue with more strength and commitment. We must be clear that this atrocious event brings with it a message for the work that we are carrying out through justice in Ecuador,” said Salazar. Next, she has asked the law enforcement forces to guarantee the safety of the officials and has been clear that her unit is already investigating the murder so that it does not go unpunished.
Suárez had taken charge of the investigation of the live takeover of a channel by some young people armed with guns and dynamite, eight days ago. The authorities believe that it was carried out by Los Tiguerones, an important gang behind much of the extortion that occurs in Guayaquil, the most populated city in the country and where the violence that has surrounded Ecuador for three years has been most felt. The Tiguerones began as a group made up of former prison guards turned criminals, but currently they are made up of thousands of members. It is unknown what their motives were for attacking the channel, but what is certain is that this event gave rise to a wave of violence that led President Daniel Noboa to decree a state of emergency due to “internal commotion,” which means that the Government assumes that it is waging a war within itself.
The prosecutor became known to the public in 2020, when he took charge of the most important corruption cases regarding the purchase of hospital materials during the pandemic. There the name of Daniel Salcedo first emerged, who was captured yesterday in Panama, where he was fleeing from justice. Salcedo also appears involved in the famous Metastasis case, a mega-operation to purge corruption in the judicial system, which is no small thing. In addition, he investigated mismanagement at Petroecuador, the former state oil company.
His murder has caused a great commotion. Suárez was known for being implacable and incorruptible, according to several sources consulted. He was a great ally of investigative journalists, to whom he often gave clues that they should follow. It was evident that his life was in danger, especially in this last week, in which the gangs are committing attacks to force the president “to negotiate”, without it being completely clear what his demands are. For the moment, Noboa has deployed the army to the streets, imposed a curfew and, at least momentarily, regained control of the prisons, the nerve center of the gangs. These have gained extraordinary power since the port of Guayaquil, facing the Pacific Ocean, became the main cocaine trafficking route worldwide. In alliance with the Mexican cartels of Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación, the Choneros and Los Lobos, local gangs, have imposed their law.
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