The Police and Armed Forces of Ecuador, which make up the Security Block, Eleven alleged members of the criminal organization ‘Los Lobos’ were arrested in the province of El Oro, border with Peru, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo said Monday.
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The Security Block press conference was also attended by the Minister of the Interior, Mónica Palencia, the head of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, Jaime Vela, and the General Commander of the Police, César Zapata.
Loffredo mentioned that among the arrests made was that of alias ‘Leche’, leader of the criminal gang ‘Los Tiguerones’. The Minister of Defense also reported that a “hard blow” was dealt to fuel drug trafficking when a pool with 1,000 gallons (about 4,000 liters) of gasoline was found. and thus smuggling actions were avoided.
For her part, Minister Palencia explained that from January 1 to July 14, 2024, international homicides were reduced by 18%, that is, 691 fewer deaths than last year. Palencia stressed that when the President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, took office, the projection of these deaths was for growth, compared to which, “they have gone to a decrease.”
Admiral Jaime Vela provided data at a national level since the beginning of the year until now, such as the carrying out of 176,000 military operations, including missions to control and monitor land, sea and air space, control weapons, ammunition and explosives or support other State institutions.
Key video in the investigation of the murder of model Landy Párraga in Ecuador a few months ago
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During this period, 2,600 weapons, 206,000 rounds of ammunition, 60 tons of drugs, 290,000 gallons of fuel and one million dollars, among others, were also seized. Since the beginning of the year, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa elevated the fight against organized crime to the category of “internal armed conflict”, which led him to classify criminal gangs as terrorist groups and non-state belligerents.
Organized crime gangs, mainly dedicated to drug trafficking, are blamed for the wave of violence that has hit Ecuador and led it to be listed as the country with the most homicides per capita, registering 47.2 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, according to the Ecuadorian Observatory of Organized Crime (OECO).
EFE AGENCY
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