Ecuador's prisons, many of them taken over by drug gangs, have been under military control since January
Ecuador's prisons, many of them taken over by drug gangs, have been under military control since January AFP

Ecuadoran officials said they had thwarted an attack Thursday carried out by an explosive-laden drone on La Roca prison, which houses ex-vice president Jorge Glas, arrested in a raid on the Mexican embassy in April.

The drone was intercepted as it flew over the maximum security prison, according to the "Security Block" -- a unit of police and soldiers fighting drug trafficking.

The drone had been flown with the intent of "disabling" the prison, which can hold about 100 inmates, the group said in a statement.

Glas was arrested on corruption charges on April 5 at the Mexican embassy in Quito where he had sought refuge. The raid on the embassy by Ecuadoran security forces to capture him prompted a break in diplomatic ties between the two nations.

Last month, Mexico asked that Glas be allowed to go to a "safe place" in a third country due to his "critical" health condition.

Ecuador's prisons, many of them taken over by drug gangs, have been under military control since January, when President Daniel Noboa declared a state of "internal armed conflict" in the government's showdown with organized crime.

That came after a particularly brutal wave of violence in several parts of Ecuador, sparked by the prison escape of one of the country's most powerful crime bosses.

Once considered a bastion of peace in Latin America, Ecuador has been plunged into crisis by the rapid spread of transnational cartels that use its ports -- mainly Guayaquil -- to ship drugs to the United States and Europe.

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