State of emergency and curfew after drug lord escapes from prison in Ecuador After plane window incident: United finds loose screws – also on other planes

After a notorious drug lord escaped from prison, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a nationwide state of emergency and imposed a curfew. With his decree, he wanted to ensure that the armed forces receive “full political and legal support” in the fight against drug crime, Noboa explained on Instagram on Monday.

The state of emergency allows the president to deploy the military to the country’s streets and prisons for 60 days. The curfew applies from 11:00 PM to 5:00 AM (local time).

Influential gang leader José Adolfo Macías alias ‘Fito’ escaped from the maximum security prison in the port city of Guayaquil on Sunday. “All state power will be used to find this extremely dangerous person,” presidential spokesman Roberto Izurieta said. He complained about the “infiltration” of prisons by criminal groups. Prosecutors said they had filed charges against two prison guards for possibly aiding and abetting Macía’s escape.

34 years in prison

The leader of the criminal gang ‘Los Choneros’ has been serving a 34-year prison sentence since 2011 for organized crime, drug trafficking and murder. Macías had already escaped from prison in 2013, when he was recaptured after three months on the run. The 44-year-old was transferred to the maximum security prison in Guayaquil in August after the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

The gang leader is said to have threatened Villavicencio with death in the past, and Ecuador’s then-president Guillermo Lasso accused members of “organized crime” of killing the politician.

Ecuador lies between Colombia and Peru, the world’s two largest cocaine producers, but has long been considered relatively peaceful and stable. In recent years, Ecuador has become a hub for international drug trafficking. Since then, violent crime has also increased dramatically. (sda/afp)