Ecuador: Six inmates linked to murder of presidential candidate killed in prison

Six inmates were killed on Friday during a disturbance inside a Guayaquil prison, becoming the latest incident of unrest to strike Ecuador's penal system. In a statement, the SNAI national prison authority said that the disturbance occurred in one of the cellblocks of the Guayas 1 prison. Guayas 1 is one of five facilities that make up a large prison complex in Guayaquil. The Ecuadorian prisons agency revealed that six people who died in a prison on Friday were suspected of being involved in the murder of anti-corruption presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

Separately, the public prosecutor's office said that its agents, along with police and the military, were "executing security protocols... in light of the disturbance that occurred Friday afternoon." 

"In the coming hours, specialized military personnel will carry out the first raids and reconnaissance of Pavilion 7, where the incidents originated, to take control of the situation," the office said in a statement posted on X. 

Earlier in July, a riot in the Guayas 1 prison left over 30 people dead. The ongoing conflict between powerful gangs linked to Colombian and Mexican cartels has led to more than 430 inmate deaths in Ecuador since 2021. In August this year, dozens of guards were taken hostage at several prisons around the country. 

Ecuador seizes nearly 14 tonnes of drugs in mega bust

On Thursday, the police in Ecuador seized nearly 14 tonnes of drugs destined for Central America, the United States and Europe. On X, Interior Minister Juan Zapata said that over 40 raids were carried out across the country, resulting in the arrest of 28 individuals and the seizure of 13.6 tonnes of drugs. The raids were staged in eight of the country's 24 provinces

Since 2021, authorities have confiscated more than 500 tonnes of drugs.

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