Ecuador’s political tensions escalated this week after Guayaquil Mayor Aquiles Alvarez was arrested during a heavily armed dawn operation. Prosecutors released images showing bags filled with bundled cash, computers, and mobile phones allegedly seized during coordinated raids that led to the arrest of Alvarez and 10 others — including his brothers Xavier and Antonio Alvarez.

Alvarez, 41, has served as mayor of Guayaquil since 2023 and has emerged as a prominent critic of President Daniel Noboa’s hardline security policies. He has openly challenged Noboa’s decision to deploy soldiers to the streets as part of the government’s war on gangs and has not ruled out a future presidential bid.

Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city and a key Pacific port, has become a major transit hub for cocaine trafficked from Colombia and Peru to the United States and Europe. As violence linked to drug trafficking has surged — including prison massacres and car bombings — so too has political friction over how to address the crisis.

Alvarez denies all allegations, calling the charges politically motivated. His lawyer described the arrest as an attempt to block his reelection campaign. Supporters gathered outside the police station chanting, “Aquiles, friend, the people are with you,” while holding signs reading, “Not another political prisoner.”

He has since been transferred to Quito as the investigation continues.