The Ministry of Defense reported on an operation called “Firestorm,” which involved 1,500 troops deployed by air and land to destroy camps, processing plants, and mine entrances that sustained the illicit economy in the La Chonta sector of the Pucara canton, in the southern province of Azuay.

During the bombing, the Ecuadorian Army destroyed 12 hectares using direct fire from heavy artillery to eliminate the enclaves that served as logistical and operational centers for the mining mafias, the Ministry stated.

According to the military, the operation is still underway, as military intelligence reports indicate that cells linked to the Los Choneros organized crime group, involved in arms smuggling, extortion, and drug trafficking, were operating in the area, using illegal mining as a front for their activities.

Days earlier, the government reported that, during an operation in Río Blanco, also in Azuay province, the military found illegally mined gold and silver.

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