Ecuador: Authorities arrest 'El Gringo,' leader of the Oliver Sinisterra gang

Police authorities in Ecuador announced Monday the capture of the drug leader known as "El Gringo." According to the Ecuadorian media, he is the leader of a gangs that is wreaking havoc in the country and that is allegedly behind the coordinated attacks at the beginning of January.

Carlos Arturo Landázuri Cortés, known as "El Gringo," was the leader of the narcoterrorist group Oliver Sinisterra. The general commander of the Ecuadorian Police, César Augusto Zapata, explained that he was captured in the Imbabura province following a three-month investigation. The operation to capture El Gringo was carried out in collaboration with authorities from Colombia, where the gang also operates.

According to the newspaper El Tiempo, Landázuri became leader of the Oliver Sinisterra after the death of Walter Patricio Arizala, alias "Guacho." Both Ecuadorian courts and Interpol had issued search and arrest warrants against him, as he is in charge of nearly 120 armed men, also according to El Tiempo sources.

Oliver Siniesterra is essentially dedicated to the production of cocaine on the border between Ecuador and Colombia for its subsequent sale to groups dedicated to mass distribution. The group has close ties to the Tiguerones, one of the groups cited by Ecuadorian President Noboa, in addition to the Jalisco Nueva Generación.