What is happening in Ecuador? The scourge of Latin and Central America: Cartels

Melik ÇELİK-12punto.com.tr

The country was thrown into turmoil on Sunday after Adolfo Macias, nicknamed Fito, the leader of the criminal organization Los Choneros, escaped from prison in Ecuador. On Tuesday, gang members stormed a live broadcast, and a 2-month state of emergency was declared in the country.

While security forces have been granted full authority for operations in the country, those operations are currently ongoing.

ESCOBAR, EL CHAPO, EL MENCHO

Criminal organizations known as cartels in South and Central America have engaged in illegal activities that are the stuff of movies and series. Some of these cartels, which have achieved wealth by generating billions of dollars from these illegal activities, have thousands of members.

Escobar, El Chapo, El Mencho, the favelas of Brazil, and the Ecuadorian known by the nickname "Fito," Jose Adolfo Macías Villamar, who has been in the headlines in recent days, and hundreds more cartels...

COCAINE, WEAPONS, HUMAN TRAFFICKING...

South and Central American countries stand out at the top of global crime rate indices.

Crimes such as drug trafficking, murder, arms smuggling, and human trafficking are carried out through criminal organizations known as cartels. Furthermore, in the 2023 report of the World's Riskiest and Safest Cities Index, 42 of the 50 most dangerous cities are located in South and Central America.

Between March 12 and April 2, 2023, Interpol announced that it had carried out a massive cocaine and illegal weapons operation in Latin America.

During the operation, 203 tons of cocaine and more than 8 thousand weapons were seized, and 14 thousand 260 people were detained. It was stated that with the "Trigger IX" operation, funded by the European Union (EU), 203 tons of cocaine and other drugs worth approximately 5.7 billion US dollars, as well as 372 tons of drug precursors, were seized.

Here are the countries in Latin America and the cartels within them...

MEXICO

One of the first countries that comes to mind when talking about cartels is Mexico.

After 2006, violent clashes occurred in the country following President Felipe Calderón's launch of operations against drug cartels. More than 340 thousand people have died so far. During this process, approximately 56 thousand people have also gone missing.

There are 9 major cartels in the country linked to more than 80 subgroups and gangs. The most well-known of these is the Sinaloa Cartel, formerly led by Joaquín Guzmán, nicknamed El Chapo.

Guzman was captured in 2014, but the cartel remains active in Mexico. In addition, there is the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), whose assets are thought to be worth more than 20 billion dollars, the Gulf Cartel, and the Los Zetas Cartel.

The economic cost of violence in Mexico is also quite high. For example, the cost of murder and violent crimes has reached billions of Mexican pesos. In 2022, Mexico's Colima city became the deadliest city in the world with a rate of 181.94 murders per 100,000 people. All 9 cities with populations over 250,000 that have the highest murder rates are located in Mexico. In 2023 alone, there were 11 thousand 141 vehicle thefts in the country.

BRAZIL

The Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) is the most well-known gang in Brazil.

There are many gangs in the shantytowns they call favelas. Hundreds of people die every year in operations carried out by police in the favelas. The city with the highest murder rate in Brazil is Mossoro. In 2022, the number of murders in Brazil reached its lowest level for the entire period studied, with approximately 40,800 incidents. By comparison, more than 59,000 murders were committed in the country in 2017. Last year, there were 148 thousand car theft cases.

COLOMBIA

When Colombia is mentioned, the Medellin cartel and Pablo Escobar come to mind.

In addition to this, there can be criminal organizations that are not Colombian but are influential in the country. Although Antonio Usuga, nicknamed Otoniel, the leader of the Gulf Clan Cartel, who is seen as the most influential figure after Escobar, was captured last year, the cartel's activities continue.

In addition to the organized crime group called the Gulf Clan, many small gangs continue their criminal activities in the country. Colombia is one of the leading centers for drug production in the world. Furthermore, there are 6 cities from Colombia in the ranking of the world's 50 most dangerous cities.

VENEZUELA

Venezuela is an important transit country for drug shipments going from Colombia to the US and Europe.

In Venezuela, there are also organizations that have grown from within, such as corrupt officials unofficially known as the Cartel of the Suns and the guerrilla group Bolivarian Liberation Forces (Fuerzas Bolivarianas de Liberación - FBL). Besides this, the most well-known gangs in the country, such as the El Koki Gang and Tren de Aragua, are involved in many activities like extortion, drug trafficking, and illegal alcohol production.

AND ECUADOR...

Ecuador was once seen as the safest country in Latin America.

The economic situation, which worsened with the pandemic period, increased the crime rate in the country.

While the number of murders was 4 thousand 500 according to official figures in 2022, it doubled to 8 thousand 8 in 2023. Clashes are still ongoing in the country following the escape of cartel leader Fito Macias from prison.

News Source: Melik Çelik