ECUADOR · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —What is happening Two riots on Thursday, 22 October, at prisons in Cotopaxi and Quito killed eight inmates, and ten more people were hurt in Quito, the national prison service says.
- —Why it matters Ecuador is a cocaine transit country for the United States, and its prisons hold gang leaders and defendants bound for US courts, so unrest inside them tests the state’s control.
- —The numbers Four inmates died at each prison and ten were hurt in Quito, while SNAI began sorting 9,214 prisoners by risk level on Friday, 16 October.
- —Who is who SNAI runs the prisons, Interior Minister John Reimberg oversees the police under President Daniel Noboa, and El Inca is Quito’s provisional detention centre.
- —What to watch Whether SNAI names the cause of the riots and the dead, and whether the alleged instigators reach El Encuentro, the maximum-security prison in Santa Elena.
- —Power Index Ecuador ranks 8th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 38.2 points (October 2026 edition).
- —What it means for you Travellers should check the current US State Department advisory for Ecuador, and investors should note that prison unrest adds to the country’s security risk.
Riots at two Ecuadorian prisons killed eight inmates on Thursday, 22 October. The cause is not yet known.
Two riots in Ecuadorian prisons on Thursday, 22 October, left eight inmates dead, according to SNAI, the national prison service. The deaths came at the Cotopaxi prison and at El Inca, a detention centre in Quito.
The Ecuador prison riots matter to US readers because the country sits on a cocaine route toward the United States. Its prisons also hold defendants wanted by US prosecutors, including Daniel Salcedo, who is due for extradition on 29 October.
What SNAI Reported on Thursday
SNAI said four inmates died at the Cotopaxi prison and four at El Inca, the Pichincha provisional detention centre in Quito. Ten people were injured in Quito and were receiving medical care.
Primicias, Teleamazonas and El Universo, three Ecuadorian outlets, all carried the SNAI figures on Thursday evening. Primicias published at 18:58 local time and updated at 20:31.
At Cotopaxi, Primicias reported violence and gunshots in the minimum- and medium-security pavilions and, citing local media, tactical agents entering. Teleamazonas said forensic staff were removing bodies and the Army’s Special Forces Brigade No. 9 “Patria” controlled the site.
In Quito, the city transit agency closed a road near El Inca from 18:00 because of the emergency, Primicias reported. SNAI said its Security Bloc kept operations running at both prisons to restore order.
SNAI said the alleged instigators have been identified and will be moved to El Encuentro, the maximum-security prison in Santa Elena. It gave no number of suspects and no names.
The Reimberg Claim About Luisa González
Interior Minister John Reimberg linked the Ecuador prison riots to another event of the same day. In a post on X, he pointed to the arrest of Luisa González and asked whether it was a coincidence.
He told readers to draw their own conclusions and said the state would not let crime or its political allies challenge it. El Universo headlined the quote “El orden no se entrega”, meaning order is not surrendered.
González is a former presidential candidate and a leader of Revolución Ciudadana, the party of former president Rafael Correa. El Universo and Teleamazonas say she was held in the Laberinto case, a prosecutors’ inquiry into campaign financing.
Reimberg offered no evidence of a link in the reports reviewed, and none quotes SNAI or prosecutors connecting the two events. The reports do not say whether González or her party responded to his post.
A Prison System Already Under Strain
SNAI began the first phase of sorting 9,214 prisoners by risk level on Friday, 16 October, Primicias reported. The effort covers Latacunga, Turi, Ambato and Riobamba prisons, with police and Army support, to weaken gangs run from inside.
Primicias also reported three inmate deaths at the Turi prison in Cuenca between Monday, 19 and Wednesday, 21 October. Azuay police official Stalin Salazar said the deaths did not appear tied to transfer fights, though the first showed signs of violence.
The same report put overcrowding at 42.23% and said four in 10 prisoners have no sentence. The Interior Ministry counted 73 violent deaths in cells from January to August 2026.
Two inmates escaped from Turi on Friday, 18 September, and a reward plan was still active on 13 October, Primicias wrote. On Sunday, 18 October, Reimberg warned of hunger strikes and disorder at El Encuentro without naming anyone, Expreso reported.
What It Means for US Readers
El Encuentro holds Daniel Salcedo, a businessman whom Ecuador plans to extradite to the United States on Thursday, 29 October. Any disorder there could complicate a handover that US prosecutors expect.
For travellers, the riots happened inside prisons and no reports reviewed describe a danger to visitors. Anyone planning a trip should still read the State Department advisory and local alerts.
For investors, the episode adds to a security picture that already includes gang violence. Background is in Ecuador Geopolitics Explained and in the Rio Times Ecuador coverage.
What Is Not Known
SNAI has not said what started either riot, how the inmates died, or who the dead are. The injury count for Cotopaxi and the number of alleged instigators are also missing from the reports.
The SNAI communiqué itself could not be opened, so the figures rest on three outlets relaying it. Whether the riots were coordinated, and whether they relate to the classification plan or to the González arrest, is unconfirmed.
The overcrowding, unsentenced and 73-deaths figures come from one outlet, Primicias, and were not checked against Interior Ministry data. Reimberg’s 18 October warning also rests on Expreso alone.
What Comes Next
SNAI is expected to move the alleged instigators to El Encuentro and to continue sorting prisoners by risk. Prosecutors and police have not announced charges for the deaths.
The next marker is Thursday, 29 October, when Ecuador plans to extradite Salcedo and ex-police officer Ronald Herrera to the United States. A calmer week would not by itself show the prison system is stable.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people died in the Ecuador prison riots?
SNAI says eight inmates died on Thursday, 22 October, four at Cotopaxi and four at El Inca in Quito. Ten people were injured in Quito.
Where did the riots happen?
One riot was at the Cotopaxi prison and the other at El Inca, the provisional detention centre in Quito. Both were reported on Thursday evening.
What caused the riots?
No cause has been given. Interior Minister John Reimberg linked them to the arrest of Luisa Gonzalez, but offered no evidence in the reports reviewed.
Where will the alleged instigators be held?
SNAI says they have been identified and will go to El Encuentro, the maximum-security prison in Santa Elena. It has not named them.
Is it safe to travel to Ecuador?
The reports describe violence inside prisons, not a threat to visitors. Check the current US State Department advisory and local alerts before travelling.
Sources: Primicias, 22 October; Teleamazonas, 22 October; El Universo, 22 October; Primicias on Turi, 21 October; Expreso on Reimberg, 18 October; El Comercio on Salcedo (all accessed 23 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief