Front line of Ecuador drugs war wia police dey fight gangs, guns and corruption

For Durán city for Ecuador, wey drugs and rival gangs full evriwia, Police Captain Jean Carlos Bustamante sabi wetin e dey face – no be only di criminals wey dey kill and sometimes dey chop off body of dia rivals, but also di enemy wey dey inside.

"We get plenti, plenti bad pipo for our unit, for state and for politics," na so e tok.. "We get many guys wey dey corrupt. Dem dey collect money from di gangs."

Di only police officers wey you fit trust, na di ones wey dey beside am - members of team wey e pick by imsef.

At 34, Captain Bustamante na di oldest among dem and him dey move like di special forces officer wey e be before.

As sun dey set, e dey lead him team enter one tough neighbourhood wey windows dey locked wit metal grills, and pipo around dia no fit tok becos fear dey catch dem.

Dis na heart of gangland, di group wey dey control am na Los Aguilas (Spanish for di Eagles).

I ask wetin go happun if local pipo tok against di gangs. "Dem go kill dem," Di captain reply. "Na why dem no fit tok anytin."

E dey go one abandoned house wey e believe say dem dey hide weapons for dia (gunmen no dey keep dem guns for dia homes).

E and im team line up, dey hug wall, heavily armed, and dem dey tight togeda. Dem use batter ram carry enta door.

Dem find two handguns – one dey rusty but di oda one ready to fire - and ammunition for assault rifle.

Di captain tok say e dey happy wit di result. "Di first reason be sey we dey safe," na so e tok. "Di second be say two guns don reduce for di gangs."

But na small victory, for war wey no dey finish. E don admit say di gangs get "plenti weapons and plenti money pass di state."

E sabi di risks well-well – afta e don lose three close friends wey dey fight di gangs. E tok say im no dey fear again, "years ago", but im parents neva lose am.

"My mum dey always tok 'make you dey careful, maybe you fit die dia". My dad dey call all di time dey ask 'my son, you dey alright? Make you tell me say you dey alright.'"

One line fit trace - for dollars and broken lives - from di back streets of Durán go di hotspots of London, and oda capital cities.

About 70% of di cocaine wey dey reach Europe and di US dey come out from Ecuador, according to di country president, Daniel Noboa.

How e take reach dis level?

Di drug dey pour in from neighbouring Colombia and Peru – di two biggest producers for di world.

Powerful home-grown gangs – wey get connection to Mexican cartels and Albanian mafia groups – dey help smuggle di cocaine go forward.

Dem dey take advantage of Ecuador weak border controls, underfunded security forces, and long Pacific coast.

For di process, wetin suppose be peaceful tourist haven for South America don – within less dan ten years - turn to killing ground.

Last year, murder rate go high for di whole world, more dan 9,200 people die, according to Ecuador interior ministry.

Dis one happun even as President Noboa dey try tighten grip for di past two years. Critics tok say e no work well.

Dem arrest big crime bosses, dia gangs scatter, but dem still dey multiply.

Plenty pipo for him believe say dis war against di gangs no go end well.

Captain Bustamante dey continue di fight.

Wen we follow am go anoda operation, e dey lie down dey watch di back alleys from drone.

E see three figures dey move for playground edge – dem be "micro-traffickers" na so e tok. Na dem dey di bottom of di drug chain, dey sell small-small, no be kilos.

In few minutes, e and im team don trace di suspects reach dia domot. Di batter ram don come out again, and soon dem enta di kitchen, wia one middle-aged woman dey protest, and one young girl start to cry.

Di police dey move from room to room wit torchlight - no light - dey open wardrobes and dey lift mattresses.

Upstairs, dem find hiding place behind window. One young suspect come out and dem arrest am. Dem handcuff two odas for anoda room. Dem carry di three even though dem dey deny say dem deal wit drugs.

Nearby, di captain find small paper packets of "H" wey dem hide for flowerpot. Na highly addictive mix wey get small amount of heroin, di neighborhood dealers dey sell am for $1.00 (£0.75) per packet.

Dem charge one of di suspects and if dem find am guilty, e fit get five years for jail. Prosecutors release di oda two. Senior officers tok say dis kain tin dey happun plenti.

Dem dey blame corruption for di justice system, and di prosecutor office.

"We dey lock dem [gang members] and dem go free dem," na wetin Colonel Santiago Gavilanes, wey be deputy commander for Durán police, tok. "We sabi say as we dey do raid, we dey fit catch dem back. Some of dem wey dem release dey kill pipo and drop orphans behind." E tell us say di gangs get money to "buy laws, judges, and politicians".

We hear example of how di gangs dey use money from anoda police officer, wey dey different area. For im safety, we no fit show hin name or wia hin dey.

E tok say dem don contact am two times by text wey offer am big bribe - "money wey go fit retire am". E refuse am.

Somebodi – fit be him colleague – don tell the gang exactly where e dey work and wetin e dey do.

"You no go sabi who dey watch you," na so e tok.

For playground, na di end of anoda long day wey dem wear body armour, but Captain Bustamante tok say e gatz keep going. "Maybe, I dey a bit tired," e admit, "but na my work. I believe say we fit win dis war. We gatz do am."

As we dey talk, one of di main gang bosses show face for di area appear. "We sabi say e dey control di dealers," na wetin di captain tok, "but we no get leads or evidence, so we no fit arrest am".

But police for hia dey insist say dem dey make impact. Dem talk say murder rate for Durán don reduce by half for di first six months of dis year.

Dem tok say oda signs of progress dey, as streets no dey dey deserted again after 19:00 local time, and bodies no dey see headless or dismembered deadibodi again. Dat one dey common before, according to Colonel Gazilanes.

"We don manage contain di gangs," na wetting e tok. "To get complete control go take time."

For oda places, di criminals dey contain di police. Through contact wey we arrange, we meet local gang for dia territory, about one hour drive from di city. Dia leader – we go call am Jonathan – tell me say e get four officers for im payroll.

"Anytime dem wan do operation, dem dey call me," na so e tok. "Dem dey tell me make I hide things, and make I run comot from dia. Wen dem reach, dem go see nothing."

Dat early warning system dey cost am about $1,500 (£1,100) to $2,000 (£1,500) every month.

At 37, Jonathan dey few years older dan Captain Bustamante, but e dey for enemy line. E tok say e join gang at 18, to fit put food for table. E and im men (and boys) dey waka for rough streets, for broad daylight, dey show off weapons - including semi-automatic rifle and pistol.

Di youngest member wey we see na lean 17-year-old, wey dey wear bulletproof vest and flip flops. All of dem cover dia faces.

Jonathan ansa our kwesions inside narrow room for breeze block house, with him lieutenants dey crowd inside.

Most of di spaces for di room dey filled wit beds. E admit say e be drug pusher and killer. "How many lives you don take?" I ask am.

"Well, until now about eight, I think. I no remember well," e reply, with handgun for him lap, dey point am for my side.

Jonathan claim say him gang no dey kill innocent pipo, na just rival criminal group wey wan replace dem.

"Dem wan push dia way come hia," na so e tok, "dem dey come dey kill pipo, and we dey respond. Di main thing for us now na to eliminate oda gangs."

As we dey tok, local pipo dey gather for doorway, children dey among dem. Human rights workers for Ecuador tell us say boys dey start dey join gang life as early as 12. Three years later dem fit become hitmen.

Jonathan no dey apologize say e dey put gun for pikin hand or for selling cocaine for di area wey him claim say him dey protect. E tok say di drug business no fit end.

"I think na issue wey no fit end forever," na so e tok. "If dem shut us down, anoda one (gang) go come, and if dem shut dat one down, anoda go still come."

Im dey expect say e go die, unto say im dey live by di gun. "Na Death dem dey use pay for death,"na wetin im tok. "But if dem come to kill me, I no go make am easy for dem."

Two nights later, back for Durán, we see how gangs dey settle score. Di body of one man dey for di ground under di flashing police light, wia e fall, beside one motorbike.

Bullet shell still dey for di ground. Neighbours stand, dey look, mostly in silence.

One man and woman dey hold each oda and dey cry – dem be relatives of di dead man.

Police suspect say na revenge attack – one gang dey against anoda. Forensic teams carry di body put for stretcher, put am for di back of one refrigerated van: violent death, repeat again. Anoda corpse don dey inside already.

One witness dey ready to yarn – but no want make dem know im name. "E don already get bullet for im back," na so e tell us. "As e fall, dem finish am off wit one shot for him head. Two guys wey dey ride motorbike shoot am six times ."

"We don dey use to all dis now because e dey happen everiday," na so e tok. "You fit just step outside and catch stray bullet. You no fit even go out or talk to friends or family because person fit shoot you."

Im no expect say wetin president dey do against di gangs go change anytin.

"Criminals be like ghosts," na so e tok for low voice. "Dem go just show up anywia dem like."

E just vanish, enter di warm night air. You no go sabi who dey watch you.

With additional reporting by Wietske Burema, Lee Durant and Chris Gibson