September 2021 Guayaquil prison riot

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September 2021 Guayaquil prison riot
Date28 September 2021 (2021-09-28)
Venue Litoral Penitentiary
Location Guayaquil
Coordinates 02°03′09″S79°56′42″W / 2.05250°S 79.94500°W / -2.05250; -79.94500
Type Riot
CauseGang rivalry
MotiveTo gain criminal leadership
ParticipantsPrison inmates
Deaths123 inmates

The September 2021 Guayaquil prison riot occurred at the Litoral Penitentiary in Guayaquil, Ecuador on 28 September 2021. At least 123 inmates were killed and several others were injured in the riot that took place in that prison. It was the deadliest prison fight in the country's history [1] [2] and one of the deadliest in Latin American history. [3]

Contents

Background

The confrontations between the criminal gangs began after the death of Jorge Luis Zambrano, leader of the Los Choneros gang, one of the largest and oldest criminal organizations in the country. Zambrano was assassinated on 28 December 2020 and as a result of the incident, several groups that were previously part of the gang split off and began to attack their former leaders. These groups would become Los Chone Killers, Los Lobos, Los Pipos and Los Tiguerones. [3]

According to the news portal Primicias, on 24 September, during a birthday party held for a gang leader known as “Junior”, members of Los Choneros allegedly stated that they were the most powerful gang within the prison. This heightened tensions between them and rival gangs, especially Los Lobos and Los Tiguerones, which would start the riot four days later. [4]

Riot

The clashes between the gangs began around 9:30 in the morning of 28 September, when the first detonations of explosives were heard inside the jail and it was decided to evacuate the administrative personnel working there. Inmates from pavilions 8 and 9 entered pavilion 5 and attacked their rivals, resulting in around 35 deaths and 48 injuries. [5] Members of the Los Tiguerones gang also attacked inmates in pavilions 1 and 3 and beheaded five of them. [4]

As a consequence of the first confrontation that occurred in the morning, another retaliatory attack took place. [6]

Response

On September 30, around 900 police and military personnel entered the Litoral Penitentiary to pacify the prison, in response to President Guillermo Lasso's announcement the day before that some pavilions still did not have a police presence. During the entry, the security forces found improvised checkpoints built by the inmates and holes in several walls used by the attackers to enter other pavilions in search of victims. [7]

At least five of the dead were found to have been beheaded, officials said. [8]

In the wake of the clashes on 28 September, Ecuador plans to pardon up to 2,000 inmates. [9]

Lasso declared a state of emergency. He has been trying to control the prison system, with the prison violence completely in the hands of criminal gangs. The state has lost control and now has a state of emergency. [10]

November 2021 riots at Litoral Penitentiary

Another riot occurred at Litoral Penitentiary on 13 November 2021. Reuters and Swissinfo reported 68 prisoners were killed [11] and over a dozen were seriously injured during this riot. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Los Lobos is an Ecuadorian criminal organization that specializes in drug trafficking and working as hitmen for international partners or allied groups. Los Lobos began as a splinter group of the Los Choneros drug cartel, but broke away in 2020 after the death of Jorge Luis Zambrano, along with Los Chone Killers and Los Tiguerones. The group has over 8,000 members and mainly operates in cities of Latacunga, Cuenca, and Machala, and also in the province of Pastaza. Los Lobos participates in exporting cocaine from Ecuador.

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Los Chone Killers, or Chone Killers, are an Ecuadorian criminal and terrorist organization known for their drug trafficking activities, assassinations, and other crimes. The group split from Los Choneros in 2020, along with Los Lobos and Los Tiguerones following the murder of Los Choneros leader Jorge Luis Zambrano. The group mainly operates in Guayas Province, in particular the city of Durán.

Los Tiguerones are an Ecuadorian crime syndicate that specializes in drug trafficking activities, assassinations, and other crimes. The group split from Los Choneros in 2020, along with Los Lobos and Los Chone Killers following the murder of Los Choneros leader Jorge Luis Zambrano. The group is based in Esmeraldas.

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María Daniela Icaza Resabala was an Ecuadorian prison official who was the acting director of the Litoral Penitentiary, known officially as Center for Social Rehabilitation of Men No. 1 of Guayaquil, the largest prison in Ecuador. The prison holds nearly 12,000 inmates. She was killed during a wave of violence against prison and municipal officials after gang violence put the country's prisons under military protection.

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The July 2023 Guayaquil prison riot occurred on 25 July 2023 at the overcrowded Litoral Penitentiary/Guayas 1 Prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador, killing at least 31 and injuring 14 people in clashes of drug gangs with connections to Mexican and Colombian drug cartels. Two days later, Ecuadorian Armed Forces stormed the prison to establish order.

References

  1. ↑ "Ecuador jail: Death toll in Guayaquil prison fight passes 100". BBC. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  2. ↑ "(En vivo) Presidente Guillermo Lasso ofrece rueda de prensa sobre situación carcelaria tras masacre en Penitenciaría del Litoral". El Universo (in Spanish). 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  3. 1 2 Loaiza, Yalilé (30 September 2021). "Choneros vs Lobos: cómo son las dos megabandas con 20.000 presos que están provocando un baño de sangre en las cárceles de Ecuador". Infobae. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  4. 1 2 "'Alarde' de Los Choneros desató masacre en Penitenciaría de Guayaquil". Primicias. 29 September 2021. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  5. ↑ "El número de presos asesinados en Guayaquil asciende a 26, Policía dice que hay decapitados". El Comercio. 28 September 2021. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  6. ↑ Paredes, Norberto (30 September 2021). "Ecuador: 4 claves que explican qué hay detrás de la masacre carcelaria que dejó al menos 116 muertos, la peor de la historia del país". BBC . Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  7. ↑ "Solo 20 de los 118 reos asesinados han sido identificados; se han entregado 4 cuerpos a las familias". El Universo . 30 September 2021. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  8. ↑ "62 Inmates Dead In Ecuador Prison Riots". NDTV . Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  9. ↑ "Ecuador to pardon thousands after 118 die in worst-ever prison riot". Reuters . 2 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  10. ↑ "Ecuador declares prison emergency after scores killed in gang battle". NBC News .
  11. ↑ "Ecuador prison violence leaves at least 68 dead, dozens injured". Swissinfo.ch.
  12. ↑ "Dozens of inmates killed in latest Ecuador prison clashes". Al Jazeera. 13 November 2021.
  13. ↑ Valencia, Alexandra; Garcia, Yury (14 November 2021). "Ecuador prison violence leaves at least 68 dead, dozens injured". Reuters . Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  14. ↑ "Dozens of inmates killed in latest Ecuador prison clashes". Al Jazeera . Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  15. ↑ "Dozens of inmates die in a battle between prison gangs in Ecuador". NPR . Associated Press. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  16. ↑ "Scores of inmates killed in latest Ecuador prison riot". France 24 . 13 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
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