00:00 Soldiers are out in force on the streets of Guayaquil.
00:05 Searching passers-by near a market, they're leaving nothing to chance.
00:09 Thousands have been deployed across Ecuador amid a surge in violence waged by criminal
00:14 gangs.
00:15 Residents in the port city are on edge, but say they can't afford to stay at home any
00:19 longer.
00:20 "People are scared.
00:22 The situation still hasn't returned to normal.
00:24 Despite this, we come to see if we can sell because otherwise we don't have money to buy
00:28 food."
00:29 Authorities say they are making progress in their war against the drug gangs.
00:33 "We have detained many people.
00:37 There are 14 detainees in three operations.
00:41 One took place in Guayas where the terrorist gang named Los Lobos was dismantled."
00:50 But the situation remains tense, and not only on the streets.
00:54 Since Monday, nearly 180 prison staff have been taken hostage in at least seven prisons.
01:00 The violence erupted after the apparent jailbreak of Adolfo Matias, leader of Los Chineros,
01:06 one of Ecuador's most notorious drug gangs.
01:09 After imposing a national state of emergency on Monday, President Daniel Naboa laid out
01:14 plans for two new high-security prisons to tackle the country's prison system crisis.
01:19 "Today I present the approved designs for the realization of the detention centers in
01:26 Pastaza and Santa Elena.
01:31 This is one more step towards controlling terrorism and organized crime."
01:35 Naboa also pledged tougher laws and more extraditions of hardened criminals.
01:41 Since taking office in November, he has vowed to tackle surging drug-related crime and violence.
01:47 The president has a steep hill to climb in the South American country that has become
01:51 a key transit point for drug trafficking in recent years.
Comments