Ecuador arrests 12 suspected Los Lobos gang members amid crackdown

Ecuadorian police apprehended 12 individuals suspected of belonging to the Los Lobos criminal gang during an operation in Santa Ana, a coastal province heavily impacted by organized crime. The arrests took place early Friday morning as part of a broader state of emergency declared to combat escalating violence.

The operation, conducted in coordination with the armed forces, involved raiding two properties. The 12 detainees, all Ecuadorian nationals, are believed to be part of a faction of Los Lobos, one of the most active criminal organizations in the country. Police stated the suspects are linked to intimidation and illegal firearm possession.

Further underscoring the group's criminal activities, nine of the detainees have existing records for offenses including kidnapping, murder, robbery, extortion, drug trafficking, and weapons possession. During the raid, security forces confiscated three firearms, 22 rounds of ammunition, two magazines, a vehicle, two mobile phones, 12 grams of marijuana, and a bag.

The detainees were medically evaluated before being handed over to judicial authorities. Los Lobos is identified as one of the armed groups designated as "terrorist" under the "internal armed conflict" declared by President Daniel Noboa earlier this year to address the nation's organized crime crisis.