Ecuador plans more mega-prisons for gang members: minister

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Quito: Ecuador is intensifying its battle against organized crime by expanding its network of maximum-security ‘mega-prisons’ to curb a surge in drug-related violence.

Interior Minister John Reimberg confirmed that construction on a second facility, designed to hold approximately 15,000 ‘highly dangerous’ inmates, will begin in May. This expansion follows the opening of the ‘El Encuentro’ facility, which was modeled after El Salvador’s hardline confinement centers.

The government views these prisons as essential infrastructure to weaken gangs that have turned Ecuador into a major transit hub for cocaine. Despite recording 74,000 arrests last year, homicide rates remain high, which Reimberg attributes to a corrupt judiciary and a lack of border security cooperation from neighboring Colombia.

While human rights groups have raised concerns regarding potential abuses, the administration maintains that total isolation of gang leaders is necessary for national security. Reimberg signaled that further prisons will be built as needed to dismantle the cartels' influence.