The head of a jail in Ecuador’s Amazon was slain in an armed attack on Tuesday, while two policemen were injured, according to the Latin American country’s prison administration department.

The SNAI prisons agency reported on WhatsApp that three administrative personnel from the Center for Deprivation of Liberty were targeted in an armed attack on the way to Coca City.

It further stated that Alex Guevara, the director of the prison in Sucumbios province, “unfortunately died as a result of the attack.”

Two other workmen who were with him were injured.

Local media published an image of the authorities’ vehicle, which had many bullet holes in the windshield.

The SNAI stated that the police are investigating the crime.

Last week, two prison officers were assassinated on their way to work in a jail in southwestern Guayaquil, one of Ecuador’s most violent cities, where criminal gangs compete for drug trafficking routes.

Ecuador saw a record 47 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, up from six murders per 100,000 in 2018.

The government of President Daniel Noboa asserts that its anti-organized crime campaign has cut killings.
According to the interior ministry, 4,236 homicides were reported between January and September of this year, compared to 5,112 during the same period in 2023.

AFP