On December 7, 2025, the grim reality of Ecuador’s prison crisis once again made headlines as thirteen inmates were found dead inside the El Oro prison in Machala, a coastal city in the southwest of the country. The state prison authority, SNAI, confirmed the deaths, which occurred following the detonation of an explosive device outside the prison walls. According to reports from local media and statements by SNAI, the explosion—caused by a drone carrying explosives and detonated approximately 100 meters (about 325 feet) from the facility—was intended to distract prison guards. The bodies of the inmates were discovered by police after the blast.
Initial findings suggest the cause of death for the thirteen prisoners was asphyxiation, though autopsies and other routine procedures are currently underway to confirm the exact circumstances. This latest tragedy is part of a devastating pattern: El Oro prison has seen 44 inmates killed in violent incidents in just the past month, as noted by CTV News. In November alone, thirty-one inmates lost their lives in the same facility during a deadly armed riot, with 27 of those deaths attributed to asphyxiation and immediate death by hanging. The riot had reportedly been triggered by a reorganization of prisoners into a new maximum security wing.
The violence at El Oro is not an isolated case. At the end of September 2025, fourteen people—including one prison guard—died during another armed confrontation at the same prison. That incident involved firearms, explosives, and the escape of several inmates, some of whom were later recaptured. Days after that, another riot erupted in the northern city of Esmeraldas, near the Colombian border, resulting in seventeen more deaths. Police reported finding ten dead prisoners in two separate cell blocks, underscoring the relentless brutality that has come to define Ecuador’s penitentiary system.
Since 2020, Ecuadorian prisons have become among the deadliest in Latin America, with more than 663 prisoners killed in violence inside these facilities, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Insight Crime and other organizations have pointed out that the roots of this crisis can be traced directly to the prison system itself and the powerful criminal networks that have evolved within its walls. Overcrowding, corruption, and weak state control have allowed rival drug-trafficking gangs to transform the prisons into operational centers for their illicit activities. Inmates have on several occasions broadcast their violent campaigns live on social media, showing off the decapitated and charred bodies of their enemies—images that frequently go viral and shock the nation.
The scope of Ecuador’s prison violence is staggering. Since February 2021, gang wars have largely played out inside the country’s prisons, often in gruesome fashion. The deadliest incident occurred in 2021, when more than 100 inmates were killed during a massacre in the port city of Guayaquil. Periodic mass killings remain common, with mutilated or burned bodies sometimes left as warnings or messages between rival groups. The situation has reached such a level of notoriety that, as Daily Mail reported, relatives of inmates often wait anxiously outside prison gates for news about their loved ones, fearing the worst with every new outbreak of violence.
The government’s response to this crisis has been forceful, if not always effective. President Daniel Noboa, who took office amid escalating violence, has advocated a hardline policy against organized crime. In 2024, he declared Ecuador to be in a state of internal armed conflict, a move reminiscent of the approach taken by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele. Noboa’s declaration was intended to confront the powerful drug cartels that have infiltrated both the streets and the prison system. "We will not allow organized crime to take control of our country. Our response will be as strong as necessary," Noboa stated in a nationally broadcast address earlier this year.
Despite these tough measures, the violence has continued unabated. Ecuador’s strategic location between Peru and Colombia—the world’s two largest cocaine producers—has made it a crucial hub for the global cocaine trade. According to government data, more than 70 percent of the world’s cocaine now passes through Ecuador’s ports. This illicit trade has fueled the rise of rival gangs inside prisons, each vying for control of smuggling routes and territory both inside and outside the penitentiary system.
Experts and human rights organizations argue that the government’s focus on militarized crackdowns and mass incarceration may be exacerbating the problem rather than solving it. Overcrowding remains a chronic issue, with many prisons holding far more inmates than they were designed for. Corruption among prison staff has allowed weapons, explosives, and even drones to enter the facilities, giving gangs the tools they need to maintain their grip on power. The state’s inability to protect inmates or staff has led to periodic hostage crises, such as the coordinated riots last year that saw 150 prison guards taken hostage across multiple facilities.
The violence has also taken a toll on Ecuadorian society at large. The country, which has a population of around 18 million, has seen a dramatic rise in overall crime and homicide rates in recent years. Once considered relatively peaceful compared to its neighbors, Ecuador is now counted among the most dangerous places in Latin America. The proliferation of organized crime networks, both domestic and international, has left citizens feeling increasingly unsafe, with many blaming the government for failing to restore order.
Meanwhile, the families of inmates continue to bear the brunt of the crisis. Outside the gates of El Oro prison, relatives gathered in the aftermath of the latest incident, desperate for information about their loved ones. As one mother told BBC reporters, "We are terrified every day. We just want to know if our sons are alive." Their anguish is echoed by human rights advocates, who have repeatedly called for reforms to address the root causes of prison violence, including overcrowding, lack of rehabilitation programs, and the need for greater oversight and transparency.
As the investigation into the December 7 deaths continues, Ecuador faces mounting pressure to overhaul its prison system and break the cycle of violence. The world watches as the country grapples with the complex interplay of organized crime, state power, and human suffering—hoping for a solution that will bring peace to its troubled prisons and the families who wait outside their gates.
