Last Sunday evening, Ecuador was reeling from the news of the disappearance of the country’s most dangerous prisoner from the Litoral prison in the coastal city of Guayaquil, but the authorities later admitted that the head of the “Los Choneros” gang, nicknamed “Vito,” had escaped from prison.
Although Vito’s fame in the world of crime was limited to Latin American countries, his international status was achieved last August, when his picture swept the international media, with him bare-chested and handcuffed between hordes of security forces, while being transferred from a prison. He was transferred to a high-security prison, on suspicion of his involvement in the liquidation of presidential candidate Viavencio in the capital, Quito.
Although the Ecuadorian authorities were keen at that time to promote this humiliating image of Vito, today they are unable to come to grips with the scandal of his escape.
Before 2017, Ecuador was described as an island of peace in the South American region. Due to the low crime rate there, especially since it was never one of the countries that produced drugs, and cocaine in particular, but the situation has changed quickly and shockingly in recent years, and the names of its gangs and their bosses have become widely circulated in the world of organized crime and drug trade, through the exciting stories that It spreads outside the continent.
In the footsteps of the heroics of drug lord Pablo Escobar in Colombia or El Chapo in Mexico, here he is today, “Vito” of Ecuador, creating the story of his disappearance or escape from prison and perhaps from the country, leaving everyone confused.
Before escaping
Before presenting the news of Vito’s escape, it must be noted that the Hollywood footage published by the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Interior last summer – of his transfer to a high-security prison; With the aim of investigating him about the validity of his issuance of orders to liquidate the candidate Villacencio – it only lasted a few days, after which the previous government submitted to a “veto” order to return him to the prison in which he resides, among his army from the “Los Choneros” gang, which works in coordination with the famous Mexican “Sinaloa” gang. The reputation.
Ecuadorians understand the government’s submission to “Veto” orders, especially in maintaining his residence in Litoral Prison. The man who is considered the most dangerous in Ecuador, from inside his “wing” in the prison, records video clips on social media networks, enjoys Internet services, has his cell phones, and communicates. With the outside, even when ordering “Delivery” meals, no one dares to stand up to him, but he is – ostensibly – imprisoned.
As for his room, which was documented by his cameras and the cameras of an investigative journalist the year before last, it includes a television, a refrigerator, a laptop, curtains, a swimming pool, and all amenities, in addition to his owning farms for raising fish and pigs in the prison’s outer space, to feed his gang members.
In addition, “Vito” does not wear a prisoner’s uniform, and does not adhere to a visiting time, especially in the case of visits from his wife, who stayed with him for five days in 2021, in his “ward.” On the other hand, the walls of Litoral Prison are decorated from the inside with carefully drawn pictures of Vito.
In October 2022, the cameras of residents surrounding the prison recorded video clips of fireworks and DJ music in the prison yard. It later became clear that they were held on the occasion of Vito’s birthday.
Tik Tok clips of the prisoners present revealed a festive atmosphere in which alcoholic drinks and dancers were available, who were brought from abroad. What is strange is that the media at that time reported the news in audio and video, without seriously accusing the government or the prison administration of being responsible for those transgressions, as if everyone accepted that “veto” orders applied to everyone, government and people.
As for the event that overshadowed Christmas, it was represented by a “video clip”, filmed by Veto’s supporters from inside the prison, and they brought him musicians and a camera team, in order to congratulate him on his return to his headquarters. The song’s lyrics talk about his chivalry, kindness, and the wrong view that some people have about him. The video clips begin with a picture of him holding a book, then he is embracing some of his supporters. The song represents a Mexican musical genre, often dedicated to gang bosses. All this, and the government did not dare to take a firm step against him!
An embarrassing position for the government
Despite all this influence enjoyed by Vito and some other gang leaders in and outside prisons, the government deals with this bitter truth with a margin of authority that deceives the people by ostensibly holding the reins of affairs, through agreements it concludes with criminals.
However, criminals’ violations of these agreements – sometimes – put the government in embarrassing situations, completely exposing its weakness, including the recent “Veto” escape.
When the news of Vito’s “disappearance” spread, the government did not immediately come out to clarify the confusion in public opinion, and two representatives of the security service and the media official of the presidential institution came out, hours later, to say that “Vito” was not in prison, but they did not confirm his escape. In the face of the wave of condemnation that swept social media networks, the statement was denied, then its authenticity was confirmed, and Vito’s escape was not confirmed until more than 16 hours later. All of this happened amid the stark absence of a statement or statement from the country’s president, the Minister of the Interior, and the Central Prisons Administration. .
However, after frequent leaks from inside the prison to influential political figures, it was proven that “Vito” escaped on December 25, along with 21 prisoners from his gang. It is most likely that he escaped from the prison door, especially since the prisoners disabled most of the cameras. Monitoring.
Despite this, the authorities have not yet revealed the involvement of the names that facilitated his escape. The president merely declared a two-month state of emergency in the country, including in prisons, but the gangs declared a state of rebellion and plunged the country into a spiral of violence and random bombings.
This is not the first time that Vito, who was sentenced to 34 years in prison, has escaped. He escaped in 2013, and the police were able to arrest him two months later. However, the qualifications of the newly elected government do not suggest any success at the level of following a clear security plan to combat the spread of the phenomenon. Crime in the country, and the influence of organized crime and drug gangs has doubled.
In addition, the tremendous development recorded by Ecuador in the spread of crime and drug trafficking, which necessarily led to a rise in the rate of premeditated murders, and made it rank first in South American countries, in 2023, with 44 victims per 100,000 inhabitants, after it was 5.8 in 2017. It is considered The rate of premeditated murders is a criterion for measuring the absence of the state’s role, in the face of the dominance of gang law over societies.
Al Jazeera video of Vito’s arrest last August
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCCuCFldkqQ
Image from France 24 website
Image from the video clip
