Lasso encouraged the military and police officers to comply with the order “with the courage that characterizes them,” and clarified: “This Government will pardon all those who have been unjustly convicted for having done his job. “
Between January and October of this year, the country registered almost 1,900 intentional homicides (11 per 100,000 inhabitants), compared to about 1,400 in all of 2020, according to the Government.
“In the streets of Ecuador there is only one enemy: drug trafficking”said Lasso, who took office in May.
The measure, declared for 60 days, was adopted due to “serious internal commotion,” according to the decree.
A committee will also be formed with various ministries of the social and human rights area to take actions with a view to preventing and stopping addiction and reintegrating drug users into society.
Lasso relieved his defense minister on Monday in the midst of a prison crisis that left more than a hundred inmates dead and what at the time of announcing the ministerial change he described as “a stage of insecurity” in the country due to drug trafficking. He was sworn in by retired general Luis Hernández to replace Fernando Donoso, former commander of the Navy.
The state of insecurity “is not only reflected in the amount of drugs consumed in our country but in the amount of crimes that today is directly or indirectly related to the sale of narcotics,” said the president, who this Tuesday will receive the chief in Quito of American diplomacy, Antony Blink, to discuss security and drug trafficking.
Two weeks ago, members of criminal groups linked to drug cartels Mexico and Colombia who are imprisoned and are vying for power faced a bullet in a penitentiary in Guayaquil (Southwest) with a balance of 119 dead inmates, in what constitutes one of the worst prison massacres in the history of Latin America.
So far in 2021, 238 prisoners have died in several prison riots in Ecuador.
Lasso pointed out that more than 70% of the violent deaths that occur in the coastal province of Guayas (whose capital is Guayaquil) are in some way related to drug trafficking.
“When drug trafficking grows, hitmen and homicides also increase,” in addition to other crimes such as robbery, said the president, and pointed out that “in recent years Ecuador has gone from being a drug trafficking country to one that also consumes drugs. “.
The Minister of Government (Interior), Alexandra Vela, had advanced two weeks ago that the country, located between Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest producers of cocaine, went from being a transit point to a warehouse for drug trafficking.
Drug seizures between January and October reached a record 147 tons versus 128 tons in 2020, according to official figures.
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