Just one week after the new curfew, decreed by President Daniel Noboa, came into effect, Ecuadorian authorities reported the arrest of 1,735 people, the seizure of hundreds of firearms, ammunition, and drugs, as well as operations carried out in areas considered strategically important to criminal organizations.
The measure, which restricts movement between 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM, began on May 3rd and will remain in effect until May 18th in nine provinces: Guayas, Pichincha, Manabí, Santa Elena, Los Ríos, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and Sucumbíos; and in the cantons of La Maná, Las Naves, Echeandía, and La Troncal.
Many of the arrests were of individuals who violated the nighttime curfew, but there were also arrests related to crimes such as drug trafficking, extortion, robbery, and illegal possession of weapons. According to Ecuavisa, 91 people were arrested in Quito last Saturday due to the curfew.
On the first night the measure was implemented, authorities reported 124 arrests, of which 119 were for violating the curfew. Seven days later, that number had multiplied.
In addition to the arrests, law enforcement reported the seizure of weapons, ammunition, motorcycles, and vehicles allegedly used by criminal groups, as well as controlled substances and cash. Although the authorities did not provide details in the…
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More than 70,000 police officers are deployed nationwide. (Ministry of the Interior)
A week after the new curfew decreed by President Daniel Noboa came into effect, Ecuadorian authorities reported the arrest of 1,735 people, the seizure of hundreds of firearms, ammunition, and drugs, as well as operations in areas considered strategic for criminal organizations. The measure, which restricts movement between 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM, began on May 3rd and will continue until May 18th in nine provinces: Guayas, Pichincha, Manabí, Santa Elena, Los Ríos, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and Sucumbíos; and in the cantons of La Maná, Las Naves, Echeandía, and La Troncal. Several of the arrests were of people who violated the nighttime restriction, but there were also arrests related to crimes such as drug trafficking, extortion, robbery, and illegal possession of weapons. According to Ecuavisa, last Saturday there were 91 arrests in Quito due to the curfew. The measure began on May 3rd at 11:00 PM. (Ministry of the Interior)
On the first night of the measure, authorities reported 124 arrests, of which 119 were arrested for violating the curfew. Seven days later, that number multiplied. In addition to the arrests, law enforcement reported the seizure of weapons, cartridges, motorcycles, and vehicles allegedly used by criminal groups, as well as controlled substances and cash. Although authorities did not detail the exact number of weapons seized in the latest report, they did state that the operations included raids and controls in areas identified as drug trafficking routes and centers of illegal economies. The government maintains that the purpose of the curfew is to reduce the ability of criminal gangs to move around and to facilitate joint operations between the police and the armed forces. Ecuador has been under a state of "internal armed conflict" since January 2024, when Noboa classified about twenty criminal organizations as terrorist groups. The current curfew is the second implemented in 2024 and the seventh since Noboa assumed the presidency in November 2023. According to an analysis published by the newspaper El País, in the two and a half years of government, Ecuador has been under a state of exception for 846 days and has accumulated 272 days with restrictions on nighttime movement. Members of the Police and the Ecuadorian Army guard during an operation in Guayaquil (Ecuador). EFE/Gerardo Menoscal
The new measure was adopted in the midst of a persistent security crisis. The first quarter of 2024 ended with more than 2,000 violent deaths, while 2023 was the bloodiest year in the country's recent history, with more than 9,000 homicides. The executive branch defends the curfew based on the results of the operation carried out in March 2024 in Guayas, El Oro, Los Ríos, and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas. According to the government, that intervention led to a reduction of nearly 30% in homicides committed during the early morning hours. However, the measure has raised questions from the business and transportation sectors, which warn of economic and logistical impacts. The lack of permits for productive activities forced many companies to reorganize shifts and incur additional transportation and security costs. ARCHIVE PHOTO. The President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa. REUTERS/Santiago Arcos
The curfew has also disrupted the daily lives of millions of Ecuadorians. In cities like Quito and Guayaquil, public transportation has modified schedules, and nightlife establishments have had to close earlier or suspend activities. In provinces such as Manabí, Guayas, and Esmeraldas, where murders, kidnappings, and extortions persist, some citizens express doubts about the effectiveness of these restrictions. Although they acknowledge a greater military and police presence on main roads, they maintain that violence continues in peripheral neighborhoods. The government's security strategy combines the use of states of exception, military deployments, and restrictions on movement as a response to the expansion of drug trafficking and the territorial dispute between criminal gangs.