Ecuadorian authorities on Thursday reportedly thwarted a drone attack on La Roca prison, the maximum security facility that holds former Vice President Jorge Gras.

The prison was targeted by an explosives-laden drone and was successfully thwarted, the Security Block, a joint Ecuadorian law enforcement and military task force formed to fight drug trafficking, told AFP. (AFP).

The drones were reportedly used in an attempt to “neutralize” the center, which is housing around 100 people, including Glass, according to a statement from the task force.

Grass served as vice president of Ecuador under President Rafael Correa, who was his running mate, and then briefly as president under President Lenin Moreno. He was arrested in a dramatic April 2024 raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito, where he was seeking political asylum.

Glass faced allegations that he paid bribes to secure favorable rulings for drug lords and their associates. Associated Press (AP)The arrest sparked a diplomatic dispute between Ecuador and Mexico over a violation of diplomatic norms. (Related: USB drive bomb explodes in Ecuador newsroom, injuring TV presenter: Report)

Wild🚨

The drone strike targeted Ecuador's La Roca prison, where former Vice President Jorge Gras is held, after he was arrested in April this year following a controversial police operation at the Mexican embassy.

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— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 9, 2024

According to AFP, the Ecuadorian military has taken control of La Roca and other prisons since January 2024. Current President Daniel Novoa has been quoted as saying that Ecuador is in an “internal armed conflict” with criminal gangs.

The attack is part of a wave of increased violence by international crime gangs who have used the country as a base for smuggling drugs to the United States and Europe.