Drug Lords Escape, Ecuadorian President Announces Emergency And Mobilization Of Soldiers

Ecuadorian security forces. (Wikimedia Commons/Rupert Taylor-Price)

JAKARTA - Ecuador's government declared a state of emergency and deployment of troops, after an influential drug kingpin managed to escape from prison with maximum security, sparking riots in a number of other prisons.

President Daniel Noboa announced the mobilization of soldiers for 60 days on Ecuador's streets and prisons, to hunt down a kingpin named Jose Adolfo Macias, aka Fito.

In addition, President Noboa also said that there would be a curfew from 23.00 to 23.00 local time every day, as quoted by Al Jazeera January 9.

The state of emergency, President Noboa said in a video on Instagram, would provide members of the armed forces with "all the political and legal support" they needed, to carry out their duties in fighting against what he called "narcotic terrorists".

"We will not negotiate with terrorists or rest until we restore peace to all Ecuadorian citizens," said President Noboa.

On Sunday, Fito, the influential Los Choneros gang leader, was found missing by police during an examination at a prison in the port city of Guayaquil.

The 44-year-old man is believed to have fled just hours before the police arrived, presidential spokesman Roberto Izuriata said.

"The country's full force is deployed to find this very dangerous individual," Izuleita told domestic television.

Separately, the prosecutor's office said it had opened an investigation and filed charges against two prison officers suspected of being involved in the escape of Fito.