In the early hours of November 9, 2025, the city of Machala in southwest Ecuador awoke to the chilling sounds of gunfire, explosions, and desperate cries for help. These harrowing noises emanated from within the walls of a local prison, where deadly rioting broke out, ultimately claiming the lives of at least 31 inmates and injuring 30 others, according to multiple reports from the Associated Press and Bloomberg.
The violence erupted around 3:00 a.m., triggered by plans to transfer and reorganize inmates into a new maximum-security facility in another province. Ecuador’s prison oversight agency, SNAI, later confirmed that 27 of the victims died from asphyxiation and immediate death by hanging, while four others succumbed to unspecified causes. The agency, as cited by BBC and the Associated Press, initially reported regaining control of the facility after only four deaths, but a subsequent flare-up led to the grim final toll.
Authorities have been tight-lipped about the precise details of the riot, stating only that forensic medical personnel remain on site to “fully clarify the facts.” The identities of the deceased have not been disclosed, and officials have yet to confirm whether the violence was another instance of inter-gang fighting. One police officer was reported injured during the chaos.
The riot at Machala’s prison is not an isolated event. In fact, it marks a disturbing continuation of violence that has plagued Ecuador’s prison system for years. Less than two months prior, a similar riot at the same facility left 14 inmates dead and another 14 wounded. That incident, authorities said, was fueled by a dispute between rival gangs, with prisoners wielding guns and explosives. Some inmates managed to escape during the mayhem, though several were later recaptured.
According to a 2024 report by the Insight Crime think tank, Ecuador’s prisons have become the “epicenter” of the country’s organized crime. These institutions, once meant to rehabilitate, now serve as operational hubs for powerful drug-trafficking gangs. The roots of this crisis, Insight Crime found, “can be traced directly to the country’s prison system and the criminal networks that have evolved inside of it.”
Since February 2021, more than 500 people have died in prison riots across Ecuador. The violence is often gruesome, with inmates killed in brutal fashion—bodies dismembered, burnt, and at times, the carnage broadcast live on social media by the perpetrators. Last year, Ecuador witnessed a particularly brazen episode when gang members took scores of prison guards hostage following the escape of notorious narco boss Jose Adolfo Macias, known as Fito. As allies on the outside detonated bombs and held a television presenter at gunpoint live on air, the country was left reeling from the sheer audacity and reach of these criminal organizations.
Ecuador’s geographical position has only exacerbated its woes. Nestled between Peru and Colombia—the world’s two largest cocaine producers—the nation has become a crucial transit point for the global cocaine trade. Government data cited by AFP and Insight Crime indicates that more than 70 percent of all cocaine produced globally now passes through Ecuador’s ports. This influx has fueled the rise of local gangs, many of whom have forged alliances with Colombian and Mexican drug cartels, further entrenching their power both inside and outside prison walls.
The scale and frequency of prison violence have left many Ecuadorians living in a state of constant anxiety. On the morning of the Machala riot, dozens of worried family members gathered outside the prison gates, desperate for news about their loved ones. “There are women here who have been asking after their relatives since 5:30am,” one anguished woman told AFP, recalling how she rushed to the prison after hearing about the violence from local residents. Upon arrival, soldiers directed her to the morgue to check if her loved one was among the dead.
The government, under President Daniel Noboa, has pledged to take a tough stance on crime. Officials blame the persistent violence on rival gangs battling for dominance and territorial control, both within the prisons and across the country’s lucrative drug export routes. Yet, despite these promises, the bloodshed continues unabated. Overcrowding, corruption, and weak state control have rendered Ecuador’s prisons among the deadliest in Latin America. Weapons and contraband routinely make their way into the hands of inmates, who continue to orchestrate criminal operations from behind bars.
The Machala riot is just the latest in a string of deadly incidents. In September 2025, a riot in the same prison involved firearms and explosives, leaving 14 dead. Days later, violence erupted in the northern city of Esmeraldas, near the Colombian border, where 17 inmates lost their lives. Images verified by AFP showed the grisly aftermath, with victims’ bodies sprawled on the ground, some decapitated, others bloodied and battered. Inmates have even taken to social media to flaunt their brutality, broadcasting footage of decapitated and charred bodies to a shocked public.
Ecuador’s largest prison massacre occurred in 2021 in the port city of Guayaquil, where more than 100 inmates were killed. The country’s prison system, once a symbol of rehabilitation, has devolved into a battleground for criminal supremacy. The SNAI agency and local authorities continue to grapple with the fallout, but meaningful reform remains elusive.
International observers and human rights groups have repeatedly sounded the alarm about the deteriorating conditions in Ecuador’s prisons. Overcrowding, understaffing, and rampant corruption have created a perfect storm, allowing gangs to flourish. Last year’s coordinated riots saw 150 prison guards taken hostage across multiple facilities, underscoring the scale of the crisis and the urgent need for systemic change.
As Ecuador’s government prepares to open its new maximum-security prison, the hope is that the transfer and reorganization of inmates might stem the tide of violence. Yet, if recent events are any indication, the challenges run far deeper than logistics. The battle for control—over prisons, drug routes, and entire communities—shows no signs of abating, leaving Ecuadorians to wonder when, or if, the bloodshed will end.
The events in Machala serve as a grim reminder of the stakes involved. For the families waiting outside prison gates, for the officials scrambling to regain control, and for a nation caught in the crossfire of the global drug trade, the path forward remains fraught with danger and uncertainty.
