Four policemen kidnapped in Ecuador during state of emergency after crime lord’s prison break
Published on: Tuesday, January 09, 2024
By: AFP
Ecuador mobilised the police on the streets and in prisons after declaring a state of emergency yesterday. (AP pic)
QUITO: At least four police officers were kidnapped in Ecuador following a declaration of a state of emergency today, police said, hours after a dangerous narco boss escaped from maximum security detention.
In the coastal city of Machala “three police officers, who were on duty at the scene, were kidnapped”, while a fourth officer was kidnapped in the capital Quito, Ecuador’s police force said on X.
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Three people driving a vehicle “without license plates” abducted the officer in Quito, according to the police statement.
President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day nationwide state of emergency yesterday, triggering the mobilisation of soldiers on streets and in prisons, as well as a nightly curfew from 11pm to 5am.
In a video posted on Instagram, Noboa said the state of emergency would allow armed forces to enter and help control prisons.
“We will not negotiate with terrorists nor rest until we return peace to all Ecuadorans,” he said.
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Authorities are looking for Adolfo Macias, also known as “Fito”, who was serving a 34-year sentence for organised crime, drug trafficking and murder.
The 44-year-old leader of the powerful Los Choneros gang was found missing by police conducting an inspection of the prison he was held in in the port city of Guayaquil.
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He is believed to have been tipped off and escaped just hours before police arrived, according to presidential spokesman Roberto Izurieta.
The Attorney General’s office filed charges against two prison officials it accuses of being involved in Macias’ escape.
This is his second prison break — the last was in 2013 when he was recaptured after three months.
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