How Ecuador became a narco state

Ecuador was once spared the worst of the narco-warfare and insurgencies that have plagued Latin America. No longer. The storming last week of a TV station in Guayaquil by gun-brandishing thugs showed how no one, and nowhere, is safe from the narco gangs who rule the streets.

The latest chaos was unleashed after a major crime lord escaped from prison. José Adolfo ‘Fito’ Macías Villamar had been taunting authorities for months, even starring in a music video while ostensibly confined under heavy security. Now, he is on the loose.

In recent years, the murder rate has risen by 500 per cent as the once mostly-peaceful land has become a battleground for warring drug gangs. President Daniel Noboa has declared a 60-day state of emergency a la El Salvador, which successfully subdued the bloodthirsty bandidos who once terrorised its citizens. But, so far, it hasn’t gone well: hundreds of prison guards were taken hostage in riots, and policemen snatched from the streets. ‘You declared war, you’ll get war’, the captive cops declared on-camera, pistols drawn to their heads.