They denounce alleged dialogues between Rafael Correa and the most dangerous drug trafficker in Ecuador

Former Ecuadorian president Raffaele Correa He had conversations with drug trafficking leader Leandro Norero, alias “El Patrón”, while the latter was in prison, according to the testimony of his former cellmate, Marcelo Lasso Saavedra.

“They talked a couple of times. More than anything else, the freedom of Mr. Jorge Glas was talked about,” said Lasso Saavedra, who testified during a hearing in the giant anti-corruption case “Metastasis”.

Jorge Glas, one of Correa’s main allies, was twice vice president of Ecuador. In 2020 he was sentenced to eight years in prison for the crime of corruption, but was only jailed until 2022. The release of the former vice president was ordered by Judge Emerson Curipallo, who in the same year also released two hitmen close to Norero. .

“Leandro and Daniel Salcedo were investing in the freedom of Mr. Jorge Glas for political purposes, because they knew that in the end he could gain strength, that he could once again have a political position and they knew that it would be useful to them.”

Since December 2023, Glas has taken refuge in the Mexican embassy in Quito evade an arrest warrant. The former vice president is under investigation for a case of alleged embezzlement during his administration.

The complaint of another inmate

According to the testimony of Lasso Saavedra, the ‘Boss’ communicated with Correa via video calls on the Threema platform. The witness, who describes himself as a “trusted man” of Norero, said he personally witnessed the calls.

According to testimonies, the drug trafficker also communicated with other organized crime leaders such as Adolfo Macías alias “Fito” and politicians such as former Correísta MP Ronny Aleaga.

Correa reacted to the testimony via the social network X, where he accused Lasso Saavedra of lying and suggested prosecuting him for perjury.

The former president and leader of the Citizens’ Revolution movement is a fugitive from justice in Belgium, having been sentenced to eight years in prison in 2020 for the crime of corruption. Although many of his political collaborators have been convicted of various corruption cases, Correa’s movement maintains significant political power and holds the majority of seats in the National Assembly (Parliament).

The politician insists that he is the victim of a political persecution plot and has attempted several times to discredit the work of the Prosecutor’s Office.

Leandro Norero, who died during a prison shooting in 2022, was the founder of the Chone Killer criminal gang, considered a terrorist group by the Ecuadorian government. During his criminal career, “El Patrón” maintained contacts with criminal gangs such as the “Tiguerones” and the “Lobos”, two of the most dangerous in the country. After his death, the Prosecutor’s Office identified him as one of the main agents inside an alleged conspiracy to control the justice system through corruption.

Violence and political upheaval

Ecuador is going through a period of political upheaval. Last January, President Daniel Noboa took to the streets with the army to fight drug trafficking groups responsible for an unprecedented wave of violence in the country.

Within what the government has designated as the state of “internal armed conflict”, The Armed Forces and the National Police made more than ten thousand arrests in three months.

But despite numerous military maneuvers, the violence continues. The most recent case is that of Brigitte García, the young mayor of the municipality of San Vicente, shot dead in front of one of her councilors on March 24. A few days later, a riot in Guayaquil prison left one person dead and four others injured.

At the same time, the prosecutor’s investigations led to the arrest of dozens of public officials accused of receiving bribes from drug trafficking.

Among those under investigation are former legislators belonging to the ranks of the Citizens’ Revolution and the Social Christian Party, movements with which President Noboa maintains a political alliance.