The suspects would be linked to drug trafficking and money laundering
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The Ecuadorian Police seized at least twenty gold bars, cash and firearms.
An operation by the National Police of Ecuador seized more than twenty gold bars.The raids were carried out in three provinces of the Ecuadorian coast. This action is in addition to the measures adopted by the security forces as part of the Rescue Plan promoted by the government of President Guillermo Lasso to combat the high rates of violence and insecurity in the country.
In Guayas, Santa Elena and Manabí police officers seized gold bars, cash, and firearms. According to the State Attorney General’s Office, as part of the operations, six people were arrested. The suspects would be involved in the crime of money laundering.
According to the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code of Ecuador, crimes related to money laundering are considered autonomous of others committed inside or outside the country. These crimes, depending on the aggravating circumstance, are punished with between one and thirteen years in prison, according to the regulations.
“The first investigations by the Prosecutor’s Office determined that the detainee would have investments in the real estate system, and shares and participation in legal entities in Ecuador, thus obtaining unusual economic growth,” the institution assured in an official statement .
One of the suspects was wanted by the Peruvian justice system for drug trafficking, but he faked his death to evade the Peruvian authorities, in this way he managed to make the criminal action extinct and, therefore, the arrest warrants against him were eliminated.
The Ecuador Rescue Plan has carried out more than 40,000 operations to combat insecurity since it was launched in the country in November last year.Nine thousand members of the police and the army combined patrol efforts that resulted in, as of May 13, 914 arrests, the seizure of 3 tons of drugs destined for micro-trafficking, the dismantling of 5 organized crime gangs and the seizure of 110 firearms.
Efforts are aimed at curbing the waves of national violence, especially focused on the provinces of Esmeraldas, Manabí and Guayas, jurisdictions that They are in a state of emergencyaccording to executive decree 411 issued on April 29 and valid for 60 days.
President Guillermo Lasso declared this state of emergency in these three coastal provinces of the country to deal with organized crime, which includes night patrols and a curfew for the inhabitants of these areas. The Ecuadorian government also claims to have earmarked USD 11.5 million to invest in reinforcing security in the port city of Guayaquil, southwest of Quito. These reactions are adopted in the midst of growing violence on the Ecuadorian coast led by organized crime focused on drug trafficking articulated with cartels from Mexico and Colombia, official sources say.
In their accountability for his first year in office, Lasso said that “in 2021 more than 1,350 gangs were dismantled. More than 7,500 weapons and 231 tons of drugs were seized in one year of government, a historical record for Ecuador. So far in 2022 there are already 85 tons, triple what was seized the previous year in the same period”. In addition, the president promised that until 2025, when his term ends, the government will invest USD 1,200 million to strengthen the National Police: “During that period, 30,000 new police officers will arrive on the streets, with which we will finally cover the deficit of troops. that this government inherited from the previous one.”
“We will confront drug traffickers, organized crime, illegal mining, arms and people traffickers,” the president stated in his speech .