Recently, a television station in the South American country of Ecuador was subjected to gun-wielding coercion during prime time newstime.
A group of young masked gangsters barged into the TV station at gunpoint, scaring the host and the TV station staff to the ground.
The hosts were all besieged by fear, and many staff members were afraid of being shot by the gangsters, huddled in the corner of the room and shivered.
Because it was broadcast live, the image was transmitted directly to countless TV screens.
The real fear and panic of the staff were also instantly transmitted to the eyes of countless audiences.
After the incident, the local police quickly dispatched to rescue the people at the scene, put down the criminals who were coerced with guns, and restored the law and order of the television station.
The point is, why did these gangsters become so arrogant that they stormed the news station that was broadcasting live and spread fear to the audience?
That's because, lately, Ecuador has been really noisy and fearful...
The new president, who took office less than February, issued his first temporary emergency directive for a "state of emergency" for two months, sent the army to assist the police, forbade people from leaving their homes between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., and gave the police and military the supreme power to shoot anyone they considered a "drug terrorist" without accountability.
That's right, now that Ecuador's "war on drugs" has begun, the official and the drug trafficking syndicate that wields enormous power, money, resources, and outlaws have broken the delicate balance of mutual vigilance but mutual tolerance because of the prison escape of a key person.
A few days ago, in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest port city, officials sent more than 3,000 armed forces to the city's largest prison to escort a dangerous criminal.
The criminal, Adolfo Macías, nicknamed "Fito", was sentenced to 34 years in prison more than 10 years ago for drug trafficking, ticket kidnapping, robbery and other charges.
The fact that the official attaches so much importance to this escort shows how dangerous this "Fito" is. That's right, he is the most powerful drug lord in all of Ecuador, known as the "boss's boss".
(Fito's personal image is printed directly on the wall of his cell)
During the more than ten years he spent in prison, he successfully escaped by water, and was later recovered by the authorities three months later, and was transferred to the state's highest security prison once, but was later "inexplicably" sent back to his original prison.
This time, the official wanted to lock him back, but it didn't come to pass, and the big operation of more than 3,000 people finally came to naught.
They searched the corners, sewers and rooftops of the prison but found no trace of Fito. A check of Fito's prison activity records revealed that the last recorded activity he had was a visit to the dentist on Christmas Day......
Good guys, and the dentist is at work at Christmas? It's more like a day to go home and visit family.
And sure enough, after that, Fito disappeared.
(Fito, who was imprisoned more than 10 years ago, and now the two are sentenced)
According to the current investigation, two prison officials are suspected of embezzlement and collusion with criminals, and it is possible that Fito leaked the news that he was about to be re-arrested and returned to the high-security prison in advance, so Fito planned his escape in advance.
Then, Ecuador's new president, who was in his early 30s this year, realized the seriousness of the problem and immediately declared a national emergency.
Sure enough, as soon as the news of Fito's successful second escape spread, the prisons of Ecuador completely "opened up", and 6 of the country's 20 prisons began prison riots, strikes, and armed riots.
They had been prepared for a long time and knew everything about the prison, and some of them even turned against the guests, directly kidnapped the prison guards, and filmed videos of them intimidating them, showing the people of Ecuador with guns and knives pointed at them, and coerced the authorities to help them open the prison gate and let them go free.
And in one video, a prison guard was even used to make an example of chickens and monkeys, and was really shot at the scene...
In addition to prisons, there has also been some unrest on the streets, and the drug lord syndicates, which used to be "peaceful", have been engaged in things, challenging official authority and declaring sovereignty.
(University attacked student flees to save life)
In fact, Ecuador has been a melting pot for more than a decade. The influx of drug lord gangs from Mexico and Colombia and their own gangs has created a "new shipping lane" for Peru and Colombia, two major cocaine-producing countries, to transport drugs to Europe and the Americas.
Ecuador is a market and smuggling route that gangs don't want to miss. Over the past decade, neighboring countries have tightened border governance, while Ecuador has shifted its focus from the security sector to preserve its economy.
More than 20,000 gang members in Ecuador now have more guns and weapons than the official total.
In Ecuador's presidential election last year, a promising presidential candidate was shot and killed during a public speech after being threatened by Fito a letter a week before his death.
Even, some analysts pointed out that Fito has been "remotely" controlling his own gang in prison for many years, and at the same time screening suitable gang members in prison.
The drug cartels control some prisons, and these places have become their "fortresses in the castle", which seem to be the most dangerous, but in fact the safest!
Now that Fito has returned to the rivers and lakes, it will inevitably lead to a power struggle among the drug lords in Ecuador, a division of power, a duel between gangs, the entire drug trafficking group and the official duel, and there is no suspense...
Today, the Ecuadorian president is resolute in overcoming the national crisis: "The search continues...... He will be found, he must be found, and until we restore peace for all Ecuadorians, we will not negotiate with the terrorists and we will not rest. ”
Netizens also expressed their opinions:
"This is what happens when one country does not solve low-level crimes, and the consequences of ineffective police are a warning to the rest of the countries, right?"
"Those of us in the UK may think that Britain will never be like this one day, but look at how our society compares to it a few decades ago. This didn't happen overnight. This is gradual decay. We're all speeding in the wrong direction......"
"Tens of thousands of people have entered the United States, or are in the process of entering. Only the wealthy continue to prosper in this illegal immigration, and those at the bottom and the working class are the ones who suffer. ”
"Maybe instead of sending them to jail, just shoot them, the problem will end much sooner. ”
More than 10 years ago, Ecuador was a rare oasis of peace in South America.
At the junction of the South American continent, which is full of huge drug profits, the new land coveted by the oligarchs of various forces and interests, without the long-term full security force, finally the oasis has also become a battlefield.
Let's hope the country can find a way out of the crisis...