Prosecutor Investigating Cartel Case Shot Dead... Ecuador Authorities Arrest 2 Suspects

Declaration of National Emergency Due to Surge in Violent Gangs
1,000 Military and Police Deployed to Guayaquil Prison

Two individuals suspected of being involved with a violent group were arrested for killing a prosecutor investigating a case in Ecuador, a South American country. The Ecuadorian military and police have deployed forces to the prison to search for weapons concealed by organized criminals.

C?sar Augusto Zapata Correa, Chief of the Ecuadorian National Police, stated on the 18th (local time) via his official social media account, "We have identified two men involved in the killing of Prosecutor C?sar Su?rez," adding, "Weapons, including firearms, were also seized." Chief Correa posted photos of the suspects with their faces blurred and images of the confiscated items.

Ecuadorian military personnel monitoring near a prison
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

The day before, in Guayaquil, a major stronghold of Ecuadorian gangs, Prosecutor Su?rez from the Organized Crime Investigation Unit was shot dead by assailants in broad daylight. Su?rez had been investigating an armed intrusion incident at a broadcasting station that occurred on the 9th. The incident was suspected to be linked to gang activity.

In this regard, Attorney General Diana Salazar confirmed, "It has been verified that Prosecutor Su?rez received death threats last week from Fabricio Col?n, a high-ranking criminal leader of the gang 'Los Lobos' who recently escaped from prison."

The murder case is reported to involve even former high-ranking officials. Currently, the Ecuadorian prosecution has launched an investigation into former Interior Minister Jos? Serrano on charges of leaking internal information related to Prosecutor Su?rez.

Meanwhile, the military and police have deployed 1,000 personnel to Guayaquil Prison to search for weapons hidden by inmates. They also plan to identify additional suspects related to the prosecutor's murder. Guayaquil Prison is known as the place from which Adolfo Mac?as, leader of 'Los Choneros,' considered Ecuador's worst criminal group, escaped. Investigators suspect that inmates directly or indirectly involved in Prosecutor Su?rez's murder are held there.

Ecuador was once known as a country with relatively stable public security in Latin America, but it has fallen into crisis as its commercial ports have been used as channels to ship drugs to the United States and Europe. Several multinational cartels have established Ecuador as their operational base.

In particular, investigative agencies, including the prosecution, have become targets of cartels and gangs. In June last year, Prosecutor Leonardo Palacios was killed near Dur?n, close to Guayaquil, and in 2022, two prosecutors were shot and killed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.