According to police, the confrontation, which erupted in the early hours in a facility near the Peruvian border, saw inmates from the Los Choneros and Los Lobos gangs engage in a 40-minute firefight, using bombs and grenades.

Fourteen others were injured, and an unspecified number of prisoners escaped. Thirteen fugitives have since been recaptured.

A masked police commander, identified as Colonel William Calle, confirmed that order has been restored, though he did not provide details on remaining escapees or the condition of prison staff taken hostage during the chaos.

The prison was housing twice its intended capacity. Overcrowding and lack of control have turned these facilities into battlegrounds for rival criminal networks.

Ecuador has seen a dramatic surge in violence in recent years as it becomes a key transit route for cocaine trafficking. The country, once considered peaceful, now grapples with its role as a strategic hub between Colombia and Peru—the world’s top cocaine producers.

Since the beginning of the crisis, nearly 500 inmates have been killed in Ecuadorian prisons. The worst massacre claimed over 100 lives in Guayaquil. Gang members have used social media to broadcast killings, while others have taken guards hostage and launched violent attacks outside prison walls.

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The government has declared a state of “internal armed conflict” as it struggles to contain the influence of powerful gangs with international ties. Los Choneros, linked to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel and Colombia’s Gulf Clan, remains one of the most dominant forces inside the country’s prison system.

Its leader, José Adolfo Macias, known as “Fito,” was recaptured earlier this year after a high-profile escape. Despite being behind bars, he had continued to orchestrate criminal operations, with leaked videos showing lavish prison parties and blatant disregard for authority.

Source: Punch