Ecuadorian government officials reportedly intercepted a drone attack on La Roca prison, a maximum-security facility housing former Vice President Jorge Glas, on Thursday.
The prison was targeted by a drone carrying explosives and was intercepted successfully, Ecuador’s “Security Block,” a joint task force of law enforcement and military personnel formed to combat drug trafficking, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The drone was reportedly used in an attempted “disabling” of the center imprisoning approximately 100 people, including Glas, a statement by the task force stated.
Glas served as Ecuador’s vice president under President Rafael Correa, his running mate, and then President briefly under President Lenin Moreno. He was arrested in April 2024 in a dramatic raid at the Mexican embassy in Quito, where he had sought political asylum.
Glas faced allegations that he was involved in a bribery scheme to secure rulings favorable toward a drug kingpin and his relations, according to The Associated Press (AP). The arrest sparked a diplomatic dispute between Ecuador and Mexico due to the breach of diplomatic norms. (RELATED: Bomb Disguised As USB Drive Detonates In Ecuadorian Newsroom, Injuring TV Presenter: Reports)
WILD 🚨
A drone attack targeted Ecuador’s La Roca prison, where former Vice President Jorge Glas is being held. Glas was arrested in a controversial police operation at the Mexican embassy this past April.
Via @Mrgunsngear pic.twitter.com/86FgsOOaB4
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 9, 2024
Ecuador’s military has controlled La Roca and other prisons since January 2024, according to AFP. President Daniel Noboa, the current president, reportedly said Ecuador was in an “internal armed conflict” against criminal organizations,
This attack is part of a growing wave of violence carried out by transnational crime syndicates that have used the country as a hub for drug shipments to the United States and Europe.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
