Ecuador proposes the extradition of drug traffickers and anonymous denunciations rewarded with money

The Ecuadorian government and military forces have adopted two controversial measures amid the war they are waging against drug trafficking gangs. President Daniel Noboa announced his support for the extradition of mafia leaders, alternative that local law prevents.

The other decision is up to the Armed Forces. and consists of a “Rewards Plan” that offers money to the people to report to suspected terrorists and drug traffickers but without revealing their identities. It is a common and very controversial method in El Salvador by Nayib Bukele.

Regarding extraditions, Noboa warned that they will be allowed until the country hosting the extradited person applies the rules death penalty nor sanctions considered inhumane. “It’s part of the decisions we have to make,” he said, she said. “We have been talking for several weeks already. We are protected by our law and international agreements.”

The extradition of the Ecuadorians is, however, prohibited by the Ecuadorian Constitution and it was also rejected by the population in a popular consultation promoted by former president Guillermo Lasso, Noboa’s immediate predecessor, at the beginning of 2023. The Executive plans to re-propose the measure in a new consultation tentatively scheduled for the end of February.

Anonymous reporting to combat drug trafficking was implemented in El Salvador in 2022 and has generated considerable controversy due to the lack of control that accompanies them. According to a newspaper article The country of Madrid, The service led to the incarceration of thousands of people unrelated to the gangs because many citizens took advantage of this opportunity to “accept personal revenge”. The Bukele government itself recognizes that around 7,000 innocent people have been arrested.

Meanwhile, the city of Guayaquil was the scene of a new prison break Friday night. Six inmates escaped from the Litoral penitentiary; Only two of them were caught by the police.

In Ecuador there is a State of emergency and the curfew, in addition to the government’s decision to deploy Army troops in the fight against twenty drug mafias.

Since the start of the new escalation of violence last Tuesday, 178 prison guards and prison administrative staff have been taken hostage in several prisons across the country. His health status is unknown. Noboa said the release of prisoners is yes responsibility of military troops in collaboration with the national police.

Fito’s research

The authorities have also launched a vast operation to capture Adolfo Macías Villamar (known as “Fito”), the well-known drug trafficker who escaped from prison last Sunday and triggered the current crisis in the country. He is considered Ecuador’s most dangerous criminal and is associated with Mexican drug cartels.

One of the rounded areas is located in the coastal province of Manabí. In a joint operation, officers from the Armed Forces and the police raided homes in the San Agustín neighborhood, including Fito’s original home. The operation was not successful.

There are versions that the criminal he would have escaped to Colombia. Helder Giraldo, commander of the Colombian Armed Forces, said that it is not excluded that the criminal is in that country. Fito is the leader of the Choneros gang, which operates in collaboration with the Sinaloa cartel and other local mafias, including the Albanian one.

Noboa said his government has received multiple threats for the offensive against drug traffickers. “He Cannot be stopped. We must win this war against terrorism,” he said in a video. In another message he thanked for the support received from foreign governments.

“It is inspiring to see that the international community is paying attention to what is happening here because “It affects everyone”, She said. The United States announced the dispatch of three officials, including General Laura Richardson, head of the Southern Command.

The European Union has also shown its commitment support anti-mafia action of the Ecuadorian government. From Argentina, the Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, had anticipated support for the country.

Since the president declared a state of internal armed conflict and authorized the action of the Armed Forces, more than 22 thousand soldiers have been deployed throughout the country where small attacks, car burnings and attacks against uniformed personnel have occurred.

On Friday night, agents captured five members of one of the terrorist organizations, “The Alligators.” They also seized, among other weapons, a machine gun.