A bloody confrontation between competing gangs led to a deadly riot at a prison in Esmeraldas, Ecuador. The National Police have verified that at least 17 of them died as a direct result. The incident she described played out in two cell blocks controlled by an organized crime syndicate. This event highlights the ongoing issue of gang violence in Ecuadorian penitentiaries.
A violent and armed clash between organized crime groups took place in the coastal city of Esmeraldas. The prison has since turned into a battleground between drug gangs. This incident is the second lethal prison riot in Ecuador’s prison system in a matter of days. Security forces have since deployed a large security operation inside the core of the prison, patrolling to restore order and begin recovery efforts. With searches for bodies continuing and hopes of finding survivors fading, they expect the death toll to rise.
The clashes erupted among rival drug gangs, further exacerbating the crisis of prison violence that has plagued Ecuador since January 2024. Since the beginning of 2021, more than 500 inmates have died in comparable circumstances. This many shootings, so much bloodshed, in one year, underscores the extreme and growing gang violence plaguing America’s jails and prisons.
Just three days before the Esmeraldas assassination, a bloody riot had erupted at the Machala prison in El Oro province, killing 10. This violent clash led to the violent deaths of at least 14 inmates. The outbreak started when over 150 inmates rioted after a prison guard was shot and killed in the middle of one of the cells. Furthermore, 14 other inmates were injured.
Ecuador’s national prisons agency, SNAI, confirmed the incidents. They are continuing to investigate the clashes, with the aim of exposing what really happened to such clashes.
“The appropriate authorities are conducting the corresponding investigations to clarify what happened. We will provide more details soon,” – Ecuador’s national prisons agency SNAI
“There is no doubt about prison gang warfare on the inside,” stated Colonel William Fabián Calle, Diretor Nacional de Policiamento Prisional.
“You know there’s gang conflict in this prison. Two cell blocks are controlled by an organized crime group, and that’s where these murders are occurring. The question is how they were transferred to the other wing, since there are several filters,” – Col. William Fabián Calle
Police authorities claim the violence stems from a top-down order from the Los Tiguerones organized crime group. The punishment extends to opposing gangs such as Los Lobos and Los Choneros just as to any inmates who do not belong to Los Tiguerones.
