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🇵🇾 Paraguay /Crime & Justice

Ecuador arrests nine suspected members of FARC dissident group

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Official statement Ongoing story
  • Ecuadorian authorities arrested nine suspected members of the Comandos de la Frontera in Alto Punino, in the Amazonian province of Orellana.
  • Officials said they dismantled three camps and seized firearms, more than 1,400 rounds of ammunition, communications equipment and other supplies.
  • The group has been blamed for the 2025 ambush that killed 11 Ecuadorian soldiers and is suspected of links to the Los Lobos criminal organization.

Ecuadorian authorities arrested nine suspected members of the Comandos de la Frontera in the Amazon, in an operation prosecutors described as reserved. The arrests took place in Alto Punino, in the municipality of Francisco de Orellana.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office said the operation, conducted with the National Police and supported by the Armed Forces, led authorities to a camp where they seized two rifles, more than 300 rounds of ammunition, 9-millimeter weapons and military-style clothing. The suspects’ legal status was expected to be decided in the following hours.

The Armed Forces Joint Command said three camps had been dismantled. It said the sites could accommodate more than 60 people and were allegedly used as support and rest bases for organized armed groups. Authorities reported finding more than 1,400 rounds of ammunition of different calibers, 90 detonator capsules, three Starlink antennas, 13 radios, a drone, tactical vests and other equipment.

in a reserved operation that led to the apprehension of nine suspected members

· Ecuador’s Public Prosecutor’s OfficeThe prosecutor’s office described the operation that resulted in the arrests.

The camps also contained 13 gas cylinders, three electric generators, three industrial kitchens, three refrigerators stocked with food and three washing machines. Ecuadorian authorities attribute the May 2025 ambush of 11 soldiers in Alto Punino to the Comandos de la Frontera. The soldiers had been conducting an operation against illegal mining.

The group is among those President Daniel Noboa has declared terrorist organizations. Authorities also allege that it has links with Los Lobos, Ecuador’s most powerful criminal organization, to enter Ecuadorian territory for illegal mining. Separately, an Ecuadorian court sentenced 14 people to 13 years in prison for money laundering in a case involving the group. Prosecutors said the case involves 17 individuals and five legal entities, while another defendant, identified as Mentor A., received a 10-year sentence. Interior Minister John Reimberg recently said Roberto Álvarez Vera, known as “Gerente,” was on a list of possible extraditions to the United States.

The sites, with capacity for more than 60 people, would be used as support and rest bases for organized armed structures

· Ecuador’s Armed Forces Joint CommandThe command described the purpose authorities attributed to the three dismantled camps.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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