CuencaHighLife

In a 14-hour court hearing Thursday in Quito, four government witnesses described how a powerful criminal gang leader manipulated Ecuador’s court and prison systems for favorable legal rulings and preferential treatment. Key moments of the testimony included details of how a prison pacification commissioner, the president of the national judiciary council and two National Assemblymen,...

The National Prison Service (SNAI) said three inmates died and six others were injured during Wednesday night’s riot at the Guayas Regional Prison. Originally, SNAI reported that there were no casualties. SNAI spokesman Paul Berrezueta said Thursday that the early casualty assessment was premature. “The sweep of the affected areas was not completed until late...

Forty-five Ecuadorian mayors in have requested police protection in the past year as violence grips the country, where 22 local officials have died in violent circumstances since 2023, the executive director of the Association of Ecuadorean Municipalities (AME) said. Officials remain under threat amid a national crackdown on criminal groups. President Daniel Noboa declared a...

With the international price of cocoa beans hitting all-time highs, Ecuadorian producers are poised to reap big profits. On Tuesday, the price of a metric ton of cocoa reached $9,622, a 300% increase from 12 months ago. According to industry experts, the price surge is the result of bad weather and crop disease in west...

Prisoners at the Guayas Regional Prison burned mattresses and trash Wednesday night protesting the policies of President Daniel Noboa and the use of the armed forces inside the prison. With chants of “Out Noboa” and “Out soldiers,” and “We want our prison back,” inmates took control of two prison courtyards early Wednesday evening, broadcasting photos...

The attorney for Francisco Barreiro, son of Vice President Verónica Abad, is demanding to know why Barreiro is being held in a maximum-security prison in Guayaquil and suggests the decision is politically motivated. Barreiro was arrested Thursday in Cuenca, charged with influence peddling and attempting to extort money from an employee of the vice president’s...

One year after 75 people died in an avalanche in Alausí, the town in the Ecuadorian Andes is recovering little by little with the efforts of its residents, who continue to live amid the danger of new landslides while they wait for official aid for reconstruction. On the night of Mar. 26, 2023, thousands of...