Reveals on the Plaga case: Like a criminal network operated

Reveals on the Plaga case: Like a criminal network operated

In Ecuador, the police have uncovered an extensive criminal connection that nested in the judiciary and prison system. This gang, consisting of judges, lawyers, police officers, and other employees of the public sector, was accused of using fake legal and medical documents to enable dangerous criminals such as the groups "Los Choneros" and "Los Lobos".

The investigation was strongly based on the statements of Omar Jarrín, a former employee of the National Public Prison Service (Snai), who performed as a key witness. Jarrín spoke in court and described how a network operated within the prisons, which had set itself the task of specifically reaching the release of imprisoned criminals by bribing judges and falsification of important documents.

The functionality of the network

Jarrín described that in the second half of 2022 he worked in the Turi prison, which was under the influence of “Los Lobos”. A practice was developed there in which judges were bribed to give advantages for the prisoners. Jarrín was responsible for the legal aspects in prison and found that under the pretext of checking medical documents, a system was established to disguise criminal activities. For example, the members of the gang produced false medical certificates and explained that prisoners suffered from diseases such as HIV to enable premature discharge.

The falsification of the documents was a clever combination of technology and tradition. Jarrín found that even professional printers and software for image processing were used for the creation of fake discharge certificates to deceive the appearance of the official documents. A special trick was to generate fake QR codes that referred to a manipulated court document, which gives the appearance that the documents would be legitimate.

In addition to the medical documents, fake identity cards were also created. Jarrín explained that a certain part of the network, which also included lawyers such as Lenín Vimos and the former judge Banny Molina, was actively involved in this illegal practice. These individuals were not only important for their legal skills, but also for their connections to the judicial system. Molina, who was already under house arrest during the investigation, agreed to be of positive judgments for a fee of $ 25,000 generators who benefited the arrested.

The gang had even adopted the strategic disadvantage of making transactions in small amounts in order to attract less attention. Jarrín reported that the payments were handled through several bank accounts that belonged to the supposedly relatives Molina, and that amounts of less than $ 5,000 were used to avoid any alarm signs in the financial system. It was a well -oiled company that could help the tricks with a compromised judiciary.

Another revealing detail from Jarrín's testimony was that Armijos, another main actor in the network, regularly invited relatives of prisoners to talks to his office in order to further advance the proceedings. Such meetings could be recorded by video surveillance, which shows the dimension of the problem and illustrated how deep the criminal network was interwoven into the institutions.

The procedure and structures of this group have raised alarming questions about the integrity of the Ecuadorian judicial system. These revelations not only show how crime is tolerated or even promoted within the prison walls, but they also throw a shadow on the state's rule of law. The revelations that have come to light by witnesses such as Jarrín illustrate the pressing necessity of reforms and a complete review of the judicial and prison system in Ecuador.