Category:Crime in Ecuador: Difference between revisions

In Sept-Oct 2010, an American woman, 69-years-old and traveling alone throughout Ecuador, was twice attacked and three times robbed within 20 days. A total of $600 worth of items were stolen, along with a digital-camera memory card containing about 1000 photos. These incidents took place in Otovalo, in Cuenca, and on the bus returning to the Quito Int'l Airport (Lonely Planet, Ecuador Forum). Ecuador has become a hub of international crime (www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5201759,00.html) due to the lack of visa regulations, porous borders, dollarization, drug trafficking, near-zero police/army law enforcement and other variables. Thousands of criminals daily rob, kidnap, torture and even murder visitors and Ecuadorians alike in every part of the country. NO province, city, town, national park or anywhere else in the countryside or on beaches is safe, even in daylight. Traveling with a companion or with an organized tour is not helpful; there are documented incidents (readily available on the internet under "crime in Ecuador") of armed gamgs attacking whole hotels and robbing all guests. Another type of crime has been designated "express kidnapping:" people are seized outside of banks and driven to ATMs where their accounts and credit cards are depleted. Many more examples exist, these are just a few highlights.

[[Category:Crime in Ecuador]]