Pool, nightclub and grenade launcher: the country where the prison is a drug cartel headquarters

An investigation reveals how prisons in Ecuador have become headquarters for international drug empires. Gangs control the facilities, extort an estimated $200 million annually, and have stockpiled automatic weapons and grenade launchers. Last year was the deadliest in the country's history, with at least 206 inmates murdered.

An investigation reveals how prisons in Ecuador have become headquarters for international drug empires. Armed gang members roam the streets of Guayaquil unhindered, running a vast cocaine trafficking network across continents. They operate from secure headquarters provided by the state itself: the prison system. Inside the facilities, gangs control who gets access to food, beds, and cell phones, and extort an estimated $200 million annually. In some facilities, they have stockpiled automatic weapons and grenade launchers, built nightclubs, swimming pools, and luxury cells. Last year was the deadliest in Ecuador's history, with a murder rate double that of Colombia. The US was forced to intervene and send forces, but according to researchers, the intervention created a power vacuum that led to new waves of violence, in which at least 206 inmates were killed in the past year. The roots of the crisis lie in past decisions, including the arrest of the leader of the Los Choneros gang in 2011, who ran his organization from prison.