How Gangs, Cartels, and Prison Breaks Spiraled Ecuador into Violence

Change Agents with Andy Stumpf

IRONCLAD

Society & Culture

4.8 • 607 Ratings

🗓️ 10 April 2024

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today on Change Agents, Andy sits down with investigative reporter CD Goette-Luciak to discuss the violent situation in Ecuador. CD Goette-Luciak is a reporter for the Latin America Advisor, and freelance writer for publications outlets including Vox, The Guardian, The Washington Post, with extensive experience reporting on civil conflict, politics, and corruption from Central America. In 2018, he was even abducted by government forces and expelled from Nicaraguan for his reporting on the administration of Daniel Ortega, who accused CD of working for the CIA. Recently, he turned his attention to Ecuador, where armed, cartel-affiliated gangs have terrorized the public. In recent weeks, Ecuador has seen a dramatic increase in violence, including the storming of a hospital by 68 gang members and the live broadcast attack on a local TV station by armed men. Today, we’re talking with CD about what’s going on in the country, who’s behind the violence, and what happens next. SPONSORS: Change Agents is presented by Montana Knife Company. Use CODE "CHANGEAGENTS10" for 10% off your first order at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Four Branches Bourbon Please check their story out at https://www.⁠⁠⁠fourbranches.com⁠⁠⁠ and pick up a bottle of their fine bourbon today. Use the code “IRONCLAD10” to get 10% off. MTNTOUGH Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mtntough.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ and enter code CHANGE to receive 40% OFF - a savings of about $100 your MTNTOUGH+ annual subscription. Change Agents is an IRONCLAD Original. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The attack on the TV station, I think, accomplished what the organizers set up to do,
0:06.1	which was to terrify the population and illustrate to political leaders how much power and how
0:13.6	much brazen force the gangs could exercise. So, yes, the individuals who stormed that station were arrested,
0:23.6	and the prison riots in general in the country were pacified, arrests were made,
0:30.6	but this is not the core issue.
0:32.6	The core issue is that Ecuador is now a center
0:40.3	for the international drug trade and the violence that comes with it.
0:43.3	How can I help? How can I be useful in ending needless suffering?
0:49.3	Do not be afraid of work that has no end.
0:55.0	We have to organize a social movement.
0:59.0	We have an opportunity to lead by example,
1:02.0	versus just talking, hot air.
1:05.0	I think the more people in this fight, the more we grow,
1:08.0	eventually it could change.
1:10.0	The people are the ones that
1:11.1	can make the change. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Change Agents, an ironclad original,
1:20.7	presented by Montana Knife Company. Today's episode is about Ecuador's drastic shift from a period
1:27.0	of relative peace to experiencing
1:28.8	severe gang violence in criminal activities, highlighting the country's current security crisis.
1:34.9	Ecuador has had one of the lowest murder rates in the region, but the homicide rate has increased
1:39.2	by 500% since 2018. From 2022 to 2023 alone, Ecuador's murder rate nearly doubled. A
1:46.8	23 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Report found that both cocaine, consumption, and
	...

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