Police Retake Gang-Ruled Prison in Ecuador Using Armoured Vehicle

This is the moment police in Ecuador use an armoured vehicle to retake a prison from rioting gang members. Hundreds of police and soldiers entered Litoral prison in Guayaquil to restore order. Using loudspeakers, they told prisoners not to resist the onslaught of security forces.

The jail houses more than 5,000 inmates, many associated with violent gangs such as Los Choneros, Los Lobos, Los Tiguerones and Latin Kings.

Ecuadors prisons have been in a state of crisis for years, frequently requiring police and military intervention to wrest control from those inside.

Another dramatic 2021 raid of Turi prison in Cuenca was captured on bodycam.

Litoral Prison, the site of the latest violence, has been the location of at least 4 other riots since 2021, killing hundreds of people. The latest raid comes just a week after the police entered the prison to quell yet another riot. Fifteen soldiers were wounded after inmates threw grenades at them.

Ecuador has increasingly found itself at the heart of the global drugs trade. Cartels and gangs from across South and Central America are engaged in bloody battles for control of supply routes and ports. The murder rate in Ecuador is rising faster than any other country in the region, almost doubling every year since 2021.

In response the government has supplied the police and military with heavy weapons and armoured vehicles, and imposed curfews. But theres little indication that any of these measures are working to reduce the murder rate, or bring an end to prison violence.

#ecuador #riots #military

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