The operation was carried out in the provinces of Pichincha, Guayas and Manabí.

According to the authorities, the detainees were devoted to robbery with firearms in financial institutions and residential properties.

Based on the police report, the criminal gang carried out fake police operations and used institutional and private security company uniforms.

In Ecuador, the declaration of internal armed conflict is in force, a provision with which President Daniel Noboa accompanied last January another declaration of a state of emergency at national level to curb insecurity and organized crime.

Despite the presence of the soldiers in the streets and the repeated states of exception, violent acts do not cease in the Andean country.

This Tuesday, the mayor of the city of Durán, in the province of Guayas, Luis Chonillo, reported the attack against two municipal functionaries.

Both are in stable condition, but one of them has gunshot wounds, Chonillo said.

This attack occurred in the middle of the Government’s intervention, in that area, due to the crime increase.

Meanwhile, legislators are requesting the appearance of the Minister of the Interior, Monica Palencia, and the Minister of Defense, Gian Carlo Loffredo, due to the persistent insecurity in the coastal province of Manabi.

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