Five people died and 17 were injured on Sunday August 14 in Guayaquil, Ecuador in an explosion attributed to organized crime which prompted President Guillermo Lasso to declare a state of emergency in this coastal city.

"I have declared a state of emergency in the city of Guayaquil due to the criminal events of the past few hours. All public forces will be available to restore control of the city," the president said on Twitter.

Guillermo Lasso, who took office a year ago, said his government would "not allow organized crime to try to run the country".

The state of emergency will be in effect from Sunday in this port of 2.8 million inhabitants located in the southwest of the country and will last 30 days, said Diego Ordóñez, the national secretary for public security and to State Security, during a press conference.

The explosion that occurred early Sunday morning in the popular district of Cristo del Consuelo killed five people, who have been identified and have no criminal records, Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo said during a a press conference.

He added that 17 people were injured in the blast, some of whom had criminal records.

“Many, if not most, of them remain silent and do not want to contribute to the investigation,” he said.

Earlier, authorities said 20 people were injured.

Shortly before the explosion, two unknown persons on a motorbike had arrived on the scene and had deposited near a restaurant "a bag" containing in all likelihood "a powerful explosive device", explained General Zarate, reporting the first elements of investigation.

The explosion also caused the destruction of eight houses, completely gutted by the blast of the explosion, two cars and a motorcycle, according to the SNGR.

$10,000 reward

"Either we are able to unite to confront (organized crime), or the price to pay will be even higher for society", warned Patricio Carrillo, announcing a reward of 10,000 dollars (9,750 euros) for anyone who would provide information on this attack.

A once pacified neighbor of Colombia and Peru, the world's two largest producers of cocaine, Ecuador is now a center for the shipment of white powder to Europe and the United States and a place of territorial dispute. between multiple gangs, according to authorities and analysts.

Mexican cartels, intent on managing all business activity, from production to shipping, have found in Ecuador a dollarized economy where they can launder their illicit earnings and authorities unprepared to deal with gangs and quickly. overwhelmed by the economy of corruption.

The country, which for years was only a place of transit, has become a "sanctuary for organized crime", Mario Pazmiño, former head of military intelligence, recently told AFP.

According to a recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Ecuador, with a population of 18 million, is the third country in the world with the largest drug seizures in 2020. cocaine, after Colombia and the United States, or 6.5% of the 1,424 tonnes seized worldwide.

This lucrative traffic leads to many lusts and violent settling of scores that the authorities are struggling to control.

The homicide rate has risen from 6 to 14 per 100,000 population between 2018 and today, according to statistics from the Interior Ministry.

The clashes between gangs have also spread to prisons and have killed more than 350 prisoners since February 2021.

With AFP

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