Operation Apollo 37 in Guayaquil and Durán yields 23 arrests and 13 firearms
The National Police carried out 22 raids across eleven districts in Zone 8 during the early hours of Friday. Twenty-three people were arrested and 13 firearms were seized.
Operation Apollo 37: 23 arrested in eleven districts of Guayaquil and Durán
The National Police deployed Operation Apollo 37 in the early hours of Friday, 30 October, across eleven districts in Zone 8, which comprises Guayaquil, Durán and Samborondón, according to eluniverso.com. The result was the arrest of 23 people, three of them women, allegedly linked to various criminal gangs and offences.
Walter Villarroel, commander of Zone 8 Police, explained that the interventions were based on citizen reports sent via QR code, which were integrated with analysis from the three police subsystems. The stated objective was to dismantle, weaken and disorganise criminal organisations active in the area.
Twenty-two raids were conducted in the districts of Nueva Prosperina, Ceibos, Florida, Pascuales, Modelo, Sur, Esteros, Portete and 9 de Octubre, in Guayaquil, as well as two districts in the neighbouring cantons. Five of those detained have criminal records for weapon possession and carrying, robbery, drug trafficking and unlawful association.
Villarroel stated that those involved would be implicated in robbery of persons and vehicles, sale of controlled substances, possession of firearms and failure to comply with lawful decisions. The affected structures include Los Tiguerones, Latin Kings, Los Lobos, Lagartos, Águilas, Chone Killer, Mafia 18 and Los Fatales.
In one of the raids, in the 9 de Octubre district, agents found a large quantity of marijuana intended for distribution in the city.
In total, the seizure included 13 firearms—including a rifle—23 bladed weapons, three magazine loaders and 33 rounds of ammunition of various calibres. Additionally, 25 electronic devices and ten surveillance systems that had been installed irregularly were confiscated. During the interventions, 13 vehicles and 20 motorcycles were also recovered and retained.
Source: Google News EC — Guayaquil