Ecuador removes illegal security cameras from Guayaquil cooperative

Ecuadorian armed forces and ECU 911 personnel carried out an operation on June 30 to remove 25 illegally installed security cameras from the Juan Montalvo cooperative in Guayaquil. The devices, placed in strategic locations such as main roads and residential alleys, were suspected of being used by organized crime groups to monitor police or military movements and to extort local residents. Director General Juan Paladines said similar illegal cameras have been found in Mapasingue and in the mining area of Camilo Ponce Enríquez. Nationwide, about 1,000 illicit cameras have been taken down in 2026, but only roughly 15 % of them have been officially returned.