However, he refrained from publicizing the names of the candidates, or the parties to which they belong
Ecuador’s government on Wednesday denounced the alleged links of candidates in the February 5 local elections to drug trafficking and other illegal activities, particularly illegal mineral mining.
Interior Minister Juan Zapata sent the prosecutor’s office a list of 28 candidates for mayors and regional governors allegedly financed by drug traffickers and people engaged in illegal mineral extraction.
These are “28 persons, 22 men and six women, who are connected to the alleged crimes of drug trafficking, illegal mining and other crimes,” the minister said during a press conference he gave yesterday.
However, he refrained from publicizing the names of the candidates, or the parties to which they belong.
These are candidates in the February 5 elections to be elected mayors, municipal councilors and district governors for the next four years.
According to Mr. Zapata, candidates suspected of being linked to drug trafficking are running for municipalities in 11 of the country’s 24 provinces, including the coastal province of Guayas, one of the most dangerous and strategic for drug exports abroad, as well as province of Pichincha, in the Andes, to which the capital Quito is administratively subordinate.
Between Colombia and Peru, the world’s two largest producers of cocaine, Ecuador has in recent years transformed from a transit route into a major drug-trafficking hub and is facing an unprecedented wave of violence linked to the gold rush. smuggling. The homicide rate has gone from 14 per 100,000 in 2021 to 25/100,000 in 2022. Drug seizures have increased dramatically. While in the prisons, one massacre after another is committed, attributed to the conflicts of gangs connected to the cartels.
RES-EMP
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
