The leader of a criminal group suspected of murdering a presidential candidate has disappeared from his cell in an Ecuadorian prison. A state of emergency has been declared in the country for two months. This was reported by the BBC, according to UNN.
Details
Adolfo Macias Villamar, nicknamed Fito, has been in prison for 12 years and was the head of the powerful mafia group Los Choneros (the "people from Chone"). Villamar's cell is located in a part of the prison in Guayaquil that should theoretically be especially well guarded.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has declared a state of emergency for 60 days, which includes a temporary ban on public gatherings and a curfew.
According to President Noboa, the state of emergency will allow the military and police to take direct control of the country's prisons.
Drug trafficking groups want to intimidate us and think that we will give in to their demands. But we will not negotiate with terrorists and we will not rest until peace is restored in the country,
For reference
Daniel Noboa, 35, won the presidential election last October, less than three months ago. During the campaign, one of the candidates, former journalist and mafia fighter Fernando Villavicencio, was killed, and Los Choneros and Fito personally are suspected of involvement in the murder, as he had threatened the politician.
Addendum
According to the Ecuadorian police, Fito's absence from his cell was discovered on Sunday. They searched for him throughout the heavily guarded wings of the prison, but did not find him.
It is not yet clear whether Fito has escaped or is hiding somewhere on the territory of the large prison complex. The police also do not know when exactly Fito disappeared from his cell.
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