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🇪🇨 Ecuador /Crime & Justice

Ecuador arrests ex-mayor in operation against alleged money laundering

From El Comercio · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • Ecuadorian authorities conducted a major security operation targeting alleged money laundering and illegal mining.
  • The operation resulted in six arrests, including individuals linked to a key financier of criminal organizations.
  • The government vows to continue its crackdown on organized crime, hitting criminal economies and illegal mining.

Ecuadorian Interior Minister John Reimberg announced a significant security operation on July 28, 2026, targeting criminal structures in the Azuay and El Oro provinces. The intervention, involving 284 police officers and 11 prosecutors, aimed to disrupt what the government identifies as the primary financier of criminal organizations, identified as Elías Baldor Bermeo Cabrera, also known as B.B.

The operation, described by Reimberg as potentially "the most important of the year," included ten raids and resulted in six arrests. Authorities also seized thirteen vehicles and raided four companies. The minister emphasized that the operation delivered a "hard blow to criminal economies and illegal mining in Ecuador."

We will go after leaders, financiers, and collaborators. Nothing and no one will stop us. We continue to work.

— John ReimbergInterior Minister John Reimberg's statement on the government's continued actions against organized crime after the operation.

The Fiscalía General del Estado (Attorney General's Office) stated that the operation was part of a preliminary investigation into alleged money laundering. Preceding crimes under investigation include illegal mining and the distribution of explosives. The investigation focuses on six individuals and two legal entities, examining the alleged export of large quantities of gold without proper concessions or a determined legal origin.

Reimberg affirmed the government's commitment to pursuing leaders, financiers, and collaborators of criminal structures. "Nothing and no one will stop us. We continue to work," he stated, highlighting the ongoing efforts against organized crime.

a hard blow to criminal economies and illegal mining in Ecuador

— John ReimbergInterior Minister John Reimberg's description of the operation's impact on criminal activities.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Comercio in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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