
The Ecuadorian army arrested Pablo Hidalgo Tuárez, nicknamed Caballo, linked to the Albanian mafia. He was prosecuted in the Pampa case and had a detention order, as he was part of this network investigated for drug trafficking and money laundering, according to the investigation of the Prosecutor's Office.
In the canton of La Maná, Cotopaxi, a member of the Albanian mafia network was arrested. During a military operation, in coordination with the Prosecutor's Office, Pablo Hidalgo Tuárez, nicknamed Caballo, was arrested, identified as the financial operator of this international organization in Ecuador, according to investigations by the Security Bloc.
There was an arrest warrant against him since 2024, when the Pampa case was processed, along with Dritan Gjika, considered the leader of the Albanian mafia in Ecuador, arrested in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in May of last year.
The investigation of this case revealed the presence of the Albanian mafia in the country for drug trafficking and money laundering, among other offenses, for amounts over 43 million USD, through agricultural export companies and the purchase and sale of movable assets, immovable assets and vehicles.
Hidalgo Tuárez, alias Caballo, was sent for trial as one of the authors of these works.
The prosecution identified part of the assets of this organization in Guayas, Santa Elena, Los Ríos and Cotopaxi, where he was arrested.
In the Pampa case, in January of this year, 14 people were sentenced to prison. Those considered leaders received seven years, while the collaborators received five years.
According to the Prosecution, the so-called Albanian mafia was involved in sending large quantities of cocaine from Ecuadorian ports to Europe, with operations in Spain.