Noboa announces new curfew in coastal provinces

President Daniel Noboa announced Wednesday that a new curfew would be imposed in coastal provinces from Nov. 1 to 10 as part of special security operations aimed at combating organized crime. The curfew will apply to Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos, El Oro and Esmeraldas Provinces.

Police search two criminal suspects during a September curfew in Machala.

Noboa said a previous curfew, from Sept. 17 to 30, reduced crime by 40%, but said criminal activity has since rebounded. “Our security operations targeted finances and gang leadership and weakened criminal organizations and we expect the same results in November,” he said.

He added: “We apprehended the heads of Jalisco New Generation cartel, the Sinaloa cartel and the Albanian Mafia during the curfew period,” Noboa said in a radio interview. “We seized more than eight tons of drugs in the month of September alone. At $50 million a ton that represents $400 million loss for criminal economies.”

He added that joint operations with the U.S. Southern Command are also “showing strong positive results in the fight against criminal terrorists.”

The November curfew will apply from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. daily with only law enforcement and emergency personnel allowed on the streets.