The National Police of Ecuador reported this Wednesday the detention of 43 alleged members of the criminal organizations Los Lobos, linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) of Mexico, and Los Choneros, in a series of simultaneous operations in which around 858,000 euros, several firearms, and a small plane were also confiscated.
The interventions, named "Factoría" and "Jericó," involved not only the action of the Ecuadorian Police and the coordination of the Prosecutor's Office of the Andean country but also the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Southern Command of the United States Army (SOUTHCOM).
Both operations were aimed at "affecting the operational, logistical, and economic capabilities of structures linked to Los Lobos and Los Choneros," according to the police body in a statement released on social media, where it specified that among those arrested are aliases "CC" and "León." A total of 36 searches were carried out in homes located in the provinces of Guayas, Santo Domingo, El Oro, Los Ríos, Manabí, and Esmeraldas.
In those searches, about 2.5 tons of "substances subject to regulation," more than 858,000 euros in cash, 25 firearms, and 1,000 cartridges of various calibers were seized. Additionally, 21 vehicles and a small plane were immobilized, and nearly 1,000 liters of aviation fuel, 47 mobile phones, and ballistic protection vests were confiscated, as detailed by the General Commander of the National Police of Ecuador, Pablo Vinicio Dávila.
Regarding these operations, the head of SOUTHCOM, General Francis Donovan, also spoke, calling them a "successful" "series of simultaneous operations directed against the Designated Terrorist Organizations Los Choneros and Los Lobos," emphasizing that they constitute a "decisive victory for the region."
"These operations deal a severe blow to the logistics, finances, and leadership of a regional illicit network that has spread corruption and violence throughout the Western Hemisphere," Donovan highlighted, while pointing out Ecuador, a member of the Coalition of the Americas Against Cartels (A3C), as a country that remains "at the forefront" in the joint fight against "narcoterrorism."