Organized crime in Ecuador and the 10 lessons it leaves for neighboring Latin American states

Organized crime has already won this battle. The criminal operations against a television channel were only part of a planned message. The criminals knew they would be arrested, but they were not kamikazes. They would hand over the hostages and return to the jail, their command and control center. In 2015, and for the second year in a row, Ecuador was recognized as “the best place to live for foreigners”, according to InterNations' Expat Insider Survey, Connecting Global Minds. Factors such as high quality of life, security, work opportunities and facilities for internal mobility were considered, highlighting the friendliness of its people. In 2017, it maintained the lowest homicide rate in Latin America, along with Chile.

The criminal events that have recently been recorded in Ecuador, in which the capacity of territorial domination and challenge to the State by criminal groups has been demonstrated, are unfortunately not isolated or novel events in our region.

Just a year ago, in Culiacán, Mexico, we saw a criminal response of extraordinary military capacity. After the temporary detention of Ovidio Guzmán, son of “El Chapo” and leader of a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, hundreds of organized crime soldiers blocked all access to the city with armored cars and trucks, adapted to carry war weapons. with the ability to destroy planes and helicopters in the air. The result was around thirty people murdered, multiple kidnappings of soldiers and police, destruction of barracks, etc., which caused the capital of the State of Sinaloa to be taken hostage by organized crime.

A negotiation not officially recognized and with hints of submission on the part of the federal government shamefully freed “Chapito” and the criminal paramilitary forces little by little handed over the city, but not before celebrating for a long time in its streets, shooting, drinking, shouting. and threatening.

These actions demonstrate the inability of the State to confront criminality that controls territories and puts the safety of people and the stability of institutions at risk.

The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, has declared the existence of an internal armed conflict in Ecuador and has ordered the Armed Forces to carry out military operations to neutralize criminal groups. In the coming days we will see what the correlation of forces will be between the State and crime. However, what is clear is that the civilian population will be caught in the middle of this conflict, vulnerable and intimidated.

Organized crime has already won this battle. The criminal operations against a television channel were only part of a planned message. The criminals knew they would be arrested, but they were not kamikazes. They would hand over the hostages and return to the jail, their command and control center. The only thing that mattered was sending a message to the country and other criminals.

The same happens with the murdered prison police officers, whose images were spread on social networks. They are part of the crime communication strategy. It is likely, unfortunately, that these hostages will not be released and we will soon see more horrible, bloody and merciless messages, this time directed at police and soldiers. As Machiavelli wrote, “he who controls people's fear becomes the master of their souls.”

The wave of violence shaking Ecuador was precipitated by the government's attempt to transfer leaders of the country's main criminal organizations to a maximum security prison with a special regime. At least two of them, belonging to the Los Choneros and Los Lobos gangs, escaped with the apparent support of members of the prison forces. In that logic, it is likely that this maximum security prison will also be controlled by criminal structures in a short time. As Pablo Escobar said: “For silver or for lead.”

In a previous column, I wrote that a few years ago I had the opportunity to interview an experienced Ecuadorian police officer about the emerging criminal waves in the Port of Guayaquil, a topic that we began to investigate with great interest. His response was: “The best way to know how to deal with crime is to clearly understand what kind of crime we are dealing with.” In Ecuador, these initial events escalated to become the worst wave of irrational violence that has shaken the country and is still ongoing. The homicide rate in the country will close the year 2023 as the highest in its history.

However, I believe that at the time of the beginning of its peak of violence, Ecuador had more clarity than our country regarding the organizations it faced. These local gangs are advancing to become more powerful and transnational structures. With these actions, his brand begins to be traded on the organized crime market. Therefore, attention is required to the various Ecuadorian drug criminal groups such as Las Águilas, ÁguilasKiller, Ak47, Caballeros Oscuros, ChoneKiller, Choneros, Covicheros, Cuartel de las Feas, Cubanos, Fatales, Gánster, Kater Piler, Lagartos, Latin Kings, Lobos , Los p.27, Los Tiburones, Mafia 18, Mafia Trébol, Patrones, R7, Tiguerones, all of which were yesterday classified as terrorist organizations.

By the way, the situation in Ecuador can provide at least 10 lessons to which the rest of the neighboring Latin American states should pay attention.

Lesson 1: Let us not forget our prisons. Let's invest now, not only in infrastructure, but also in the human resources of the Gendarmerie. Let's work on your internal control mechanisms and professionalize your officials.

Lesson 2: Let's understand what we are facing. Organized crime is a complex threat that requires a comprehensive response.

Lesson 3: Let's not further politicize an issue that belongs to the State. Let's join the effort. It is not about winning or losing elections, nor about blaming others. Let us demand competent authorities.

Lesson 4: Be careful with extreme measures, if we do not understand their effects or are not willing to accept their consequences.

Lesson 5: Every successful model is replicated. Beware of imitative effects.

Lesson 6: Our authorities must truly believe what they say. It is necessary that your actions reflect your words.

Lesson 7. Beware of corruption and the surrender of territory due to the lack of presence of the State.

Lesson 8. Be careful with our ports. They are a gateway for organized crime.

Lesson 9. Full support, training and protection of our police officers is required. They are the ones who face this reality daily (the police on our streets, not circumstantial political or institutional figures). The most drastic sanctions must be imposed for corruption or abuse.

Lesson 10. Do not turn crime into symbols, do not grow your brand: contrary to what we believe, your rise in status is an incentive for the entry of new members.

Fountain:

By: Pablo Zeballos. Expert in organized crime, international consultant on security matters.

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