Ecuador court orders pretrial detention for 14 alleged Sao Box gang members in El Oro

A judge ordered preventive detention for 14 alleged members of the criminal group Sao Box, following an operation in Pasaje and Santa Rosa that netted nine arrests; five were already in custody. The Prosecutor's Office has been investigating the network since January 2026. This is a routine judicial step in an ongoing organized-crime case, with no immediate market or geopolitical implications.