Top leaders of Ecuadorian organized crime network arrested through police cooperation

In a major joint operation between the Ministries of the Interior of Spain and Ecuador, and through the support provided by the Migration Intelligence Network set up in Ecuador within the framework of the European EUROFRONT program, the main leaders of the terrorist organization “Los Tiguerones”, which operated both in Ecuador and Spain, have been arrested.

The Network’s main objective is to ensure a balance between security and mobility at the country’s borders in the face of an increasingly computerized and coordinated organized crime phenomenon. It has facilitated an exchange of information and intelligence that has made it possible to locate W.J.A.B., alias “Comandante Willy”, and his brother, alias “Ronco”, in Spain, which has led to their subsequent arrest in a joint operation between the Ecuadorian National Police and the Spanish Civil Guard. Both detainees were subject to an International Arrest Warrant issued by the Ecuadorian judicial authorities, and were allegedly charged with serious terrorism-related crimes.

The Ecuador Migration Intelligence Network was established in Quito on February 3, 2023, through the signing of a joint work agreement between the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility and the Strategic Intelligence Center of Ecuador. It constitutes a valuable instrument for the exchange of information in real time oriented to risk analysis for the detection and evaluation of threats, the issuance of risk levels and their probability of impact for the facilitation of appropriate and timely decision making. The creation of this Network illustrates the relevance and valuable result of one of the main initiatives promoted by EUROFRONT, through the actions developed by FIIAPP Spanish Cooperation.

“Los Tiguerones” is a high-risk criminal group due to its capacity to plan, coordinate and execute acts of indiscriminate violence against the civilian population. Among its most prominent attacks is the placement of car bombs in several cities in Ecuador, leaving a tragic death toll.

The dismantling of the leadership of this group, the result of a coordinated investigation, has been a clear example of the close collaboration between the security forces of both countries, highlighting the success of this operation as another example of the effectiveness of international cooperation in the fight against organized crime and terrorism. Adequate inter-institutional coordination in Ecuador and international coordination with Europe, supported by the exchange of information and intelligence within the framework of the Network, has been key to dismantling one of the most dangerous organizations that have spread terror in their operations in Latin America.

The European EUROFRONT Program facilitates the best practices of the EU Integrated Border Management model as a reference framework for the promotion and development of initiatives by the nine partner countries in South America, towards agile border crossing dynamics in a security context. EUROFRONT reiterates its commitment to the fight against terrorism in all its forms, as well as to the strengthening of international cooperation to ensure justice and security at the global level.