Ecuador prison riot leaves 14 dead, 14 injured in Machala
A violent prison riot in southern Ecuador has left 14 inmates dead and 14 others wounded, authorities confirmed on Monday.
The clashes erupted inside the main prison in Machala, a port city south of Guayaquil, where rival gangs exchanged gunfire and detonated explosives. Police Chief William Calle told local media that prisoners also killed a guard and briefly kidnapped officers during the chaos, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
“From inside, they were shooting, throwing bombs, grenades,” Calle said, adding that some inmates managed to escape. At least 13 fugitives were later recaptured.
Security forces stormed the facility and regained control after about 40 minutes, police said. Videos released by authorities show heavily armed officers advancing through the jail to the sound of explosions, while frightened voices could be heard shouting: “Don’t shoot!”
Officials said the dead belonged to the rival Los Choneros and Los Lobos gangs, two of Ecuador’s largest drug-trafficking groups. Both were designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the United States earlier this month.
Prisons have become the epicenter of Ecuador’s spiraling violence, with more than 500 inmates killed since 2021. The country’s deadliest prison massacre occurred that year in Guayaquil, when more than 100 inmates were slain in gang warfare.
Nestled between Colombia and Peru, the world’s two biggest cocaine producers, Ecuador has become a critical hub for drug trafficking. Authorities estimate that over 70% of global cocaine shipments now pass through its ports.
President Daniel Noboa, who declared a “state of internal armed conflict” earlier this year, has tasked the military with regaining control of prisons long dominated by gangs. But last month, eight facilities, including Machala, were handed back to police oversight.
The unrest highlights the influence of powerful figures like Jose Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito”, the leader of Los Choneros. Despite a 34-year sentence, he continued directing operations from behind bars until his dramatic escape last year. He was recaptured in June 2025.
Authorities say Fito’s group maintains links to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, Colombia’s Gulf Clan, and Balkan mafias—connections that fuel the bloody battle for Ecuador’s prisons and streets.
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