An alleged narco-terrorist with ties to the armed group Comandos de la Frontera and five other suspects were arrested Sunday in Ecuador during an operation that had the support of the United States, the Ecuadorian armed forces reported.
Juan Carlos Chulca Chiliquinga, alias “Chabalo,” was captured during a raid on a home in the coastal city of Manta, located 260 kilometers southwest of the capital, and is considered a “high-value military target,” the institution said in a statement.
Chulca allegedly operated on the Putumayo drug trafficking route in Colombia, as well as in Sucumbíos and Manabí in Ecuador, according to the report. Comandos de la Frontera is made up of dissidents from the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and is present in the southern part of the country, where control over illicit crops and drug trafficking is disputed.
Alias “Chabalo” has been prosecuted in Ecuador for crimes such as drug trafficking and illicit enrichment, with cases dating back to 2023, according to the file of the judicial consultation system.
The arrest of Chulca and the other suspects comes at a time when the city of Manta, considered a strategic location for criminal groups, is under security control with the aim of reducing crime rates.
According to authorities, the criminal activities of these groups resulted in 7,600 violent deaths last year, compared to 2,978 homicides in the first half of 2024.
In Manta, there is also a state of emergency declared by the government of Daniel Noboa that restricts the right to the inviolability of the home.
During the operation carried out in a luxurious residence, the authorities also seized six high-end vehicles, firearms and cash.
Another alleged member of Comandos de la Frontera, Cristián A., alias “Rola,” was arrested in mid-June in a residence located in the middle of the jungle in Sucumbíos.
Surrounded by the world’s two largest producers of cocaine – Colombia and Peru – Ecuador has become a hub for the collection and distribution of the drug to Central America, the United States and Europe. Police have seized 140 tons of drugs in the first six months of the year.
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