The number of hostages held by rebel prisoners in Ecuador’s prisons rises to 178

This is the number of hostages in the hands of detained criminals who have taken control of at least seven prisons in Ecuador increased this Thursday to 178 in an open challenge to the government which has declared open war on drug trafficking.

Authorities have indicated that there are inmates among the detained prison employees 158 prison guards and 20 officials administrative. They are distributed in prisons in the cities of Machala, Loja, Cuenca and Azogues in the south, in the central cities of Latacunga and Ambato and in Esmeraldas in the north.

In the early hours of this Thursday, the prisons of Machala and Esmeraldas joined the series of clashes, reaching seven facilities.

A group of prisoners has arrived in the Esmeraldas prison, located in the province of the same name on the border with Colombia. shoot from inside the prison against Armed Forces personnel who were abroad, who reacted to control the situation.

There was also accidents in the prison of the tropical city of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, where three prisoners managed to escape.

From Riobamba prison, in the central province of Chimborazo, On Tuesday, 32 prisoners escapedincluding Fabricio Colón Pico, leader of the “Los Lobos” criminal gang, arrested days ago and accused by Attorney General Diana Salazar of planning an attack against her.

Colonel Pico recently announced his intention to surrender, denying the charges against him. The government responded like this He will be treated like a terrorist.

Before his escape, José Adolfo Macías “Fito”, the leader of the “Los Choneros” criminal gang, escaped, apparently over the weekend, from the regional prison of Guayaquil. in a way still unknown before the authorities transferred him to a maximum security prison.

Macías is considered the dEcuador’s most dangerous criminal. Both drug gangs have direct ties to Mexican drug cartels.

In Latacunga prison you could see the prisoners perched on rooftops outside the prison, located in the province of Cotopaxi, about 70 kilometers south of Quito.

This series of riots are part of the escalation of violence protagonist this week of a series of episodes that also included kidnappings and attacks on police officers, burning vehicles, explosions and even the attack on a television station in Guayaquil.

The events occurred while President Daniel Noboa’s government was preparing to launch its own plan to regain control of Ecuadorian prisonsmany of them internally dominated by these criminal groups, whose rivalries have resulted in the murder of over 450 prisoners since 2020 in a series of prison massacres.