Overview
- The Ministry of Transport and Communications led a multi-agency operation that, on Monday, Oct. 26, dismantled 33 clandestine antennas, seven telecom towers and about 180 unauthorized devices around Ancón I and other prisons.
- Four people were detained and handed to the Public Ministry for investigation, including a serving first-class navy technician who was caught in the operation.
- Police say some neighbors let installers use their rooftops in exchange for free internet, and that the illegal signals were directed toward penitentiary facilities to supply connectivity inside cells.
- Investigators cite an internal criminal structure known as 'La Confederación' that had access to roughly 30 cellphones and routers inside Ancón I, and some inmates linked to seized devices were moved to the high-security Challapalca prison.
- The MTC classifies unauthorized radio-electrical equipment in prison perimeter zones as a very serious offense with penalties of up to nine years in prison, and authorities say probes will map the full network of installers, local collaborators and prison ties.