Ecuador’s aquaculture, fishing, and agricultural sectors suffered around 900 extortion attempts in just 45 days, the Ecuadorian National Aquaculture Chamber (CNA) recently reported.
About 20 extortion alert calls a day were placed along Ecuador’s coast between 15 July and 31 August, the CNA said, but 75 percent of those cases were not handed to a prosecutor’s office. As a result, authorities did not initiate a formal complaint process, which meant no investigation was launched.
To ensure cases are properly handled, the CNA has established a difference between virtual and real extortion. In the former case, perpetrators typically use a false criminal identity, pretending to be leaders of criminal organizations, making vague threats without providing specific details of their victims, asking for money immediately without defined deadlines, and using psychological manipulation tactics to extract information. In the latter, the criminals employ precise data with details such as the victim's location or appearance, they intimidate with threats or acts of physical violence, and they define specific deadlines when demanding payment.
“Extortionists can ask for a certain amount of money - typically they ask for USD 1,000 [EUR 907] or more - to allow the business to function. If the owner doesn't pay, they will bomb your property or your business,” a source who requested to go unnamed said. “They also demand money from those who transport goods, such as on boats, to let them circulate. When the fee is paid, they put a marker on the boats to identify them and let them pass.”
The CNA has also established a security working group to respond to alerts and has called for collaborative government action to counter violence.
The chamber has been vocal about the growing waves of crime affecting Ecuador overall, including the ...
