- Soldiers and police officers inspecting a prison in Cotopaxi, Ecuador, found it had been reconfigured into a swimming pool and nightclub.
- Some prisoners were able to exchange their regular cells for cells with double beds.
- The results of the raid were revealed on Saturday as the government struggles to regain control of a prison under the influence of a notorious gang.
Ecuadorian security forces have taken control of a prison where gang members and other criminals were enjoying a Club Med-like stay.
The prison, located in the central state of Cotopaxi, has a swimming pool and a nightclub with LED lighting, where wealthy prisoners awaiting trial enjoy time away from law-abiding citizens. The military announced on Saturday.
Some inmates at the prison benefited from the comfort of so-called “VIP cells” with double beds.
Officers and soldiers also recovered high-end liquor bottles and drugs that were directly accessible to the prisoners, as well as branded clothing, mobile phones, watches, internet adapters, laptop memory cards, wireless speakers and surveillance cameras.
“Thanks to our soldiers, we no longer have luxuries or privileges,” a military spokesperson said in the video as Tupac Shakur's “Dear Mama” played in the background.
One prisoner welcomed the surprise attack because he felt a sense of “peace”, although he did not have the necessary money to enjoy the luxuries that other prisoners did.
“To tell you the truth, we all didn't eat. They just made us soup, which was supposed to be water with bones in it,” he said. “The sausages and tuna were for the commanders. They ate them and gave us clean water.
“We're all the same here. We all eat the same food. We're seeing improvement.”
The operation is part of the government's ongoing fight against gangs after armed men stormed the TC TV studios on January 9.
Jose Villamar, the leader of Los Choneros, an Ecuadorian gang believed to be responsible for a surge in car bombings, kidnappings and murders, disappeared the day before from his cell where he was serving a sentence for drug trafficking. It was discovered that
Jose “Fito” Villamar's escape from a prison in the Pacific port city of Guayaquil sparks a wave of violence across the Andean nation, leading to reforms.
President Daniel Novoa has imposed a 60-day state of emergency, suspending citizens' rights, allowing military access to prisons, and designating 22 criminal organizations as terrorist groups.
On Friday, Ecuador's Supreme Court blocked nine questions that Noboa wanted to ask Ecuadorians in a referendum on security issues.
The court ruled that the president's plan did not meet constitutional requirements.
The Constitutional Court said six other issues in the referendum had been approved, but four more issues would be reconsidered, including extradition of Ecuadorians and recognition of international arbitration.
Novoa had said he wanted to hold a referendum in March.
In its ruling, the Constitutional Court said it suspended nine questions because they did not change current regulations, were inaccurate or dealt with multiple subjects.
Among the questions the court rejected were those regarding allowing security forces to carry out operations to pre-empt organized crime, and changes to sanctions and amnesties related to the use of force.
