Guillermo Lasso invites countries and armed forces of the region to unite to confront organized crime

President Guillermo Lasso made a appeal to the countries and law enforcement agencies of the region to unite to combat drug trafficking, the organized crime and illegal mining, which hinder the development and prosperity of societies.

He said that these evils are sponsored by international mafias and even with the “complicity of bad politicians and governments”, causing them to infiltrate the structures of the State.

Cosepe declares illegal mining a threat to state security and will support legal mining in the face of warnings from Conaie

“We must lay the foundations to achieve a military cooperation increasingly effective, as we are currently doing between Ecuador and Colombia. The drug trafficking and organized crime they want to erode democracy, intimidate citizens and the government. Y penetrate society with the unfortunate cooperation of bad authorities, officials and even certain judicial operators”, stated the president on Thursday, during the military ceremony to commemorate the heroic deed of the Cordillera del Cóndor in 1981 and the anniversary of the victory in Cenepa, in 1995.

In this sense, Lasso pointed out that it is necessary refocus the roles of the Armed Forces towards these new challenges. In this regard, he recalled that the Government presented to the National Assembly the proposal for a constitutional amendment to allow the participation of the army in the fight against organized crime.

“This is not a matter of the Government, we are talking, without exaggeration, about the security of Ecuadorian society and the risk that the underworld empire take our country,” he warned.

Guillermo Lasso leaves in the field of the National Assembly the constitutional reform that will allow the participation of the FF. AA. in the fight against organized crime

The president also ratified his commitment to strengthen the logistical and operational capabilities of the military and police.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Defense and general in passive service, Luis Lara, added that the Armed Forces are willing to complement the National Police in the terms established by the Constitution and the laws, without neglecting its fundamental mission.

Lara also invited State institutions to join efforts to generate instruments that consolidate peace and confront crime, drug trafficking, corruption, and subversion. (YO)