QUITO, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- A judge in Ecuador has ordered eight alleged members of the local criminal gang "R7" to be remanded in custody due to "terrorism and illicit trafficking of controlled substances" amid the "internal armed conflict" in the country.

The arrest of those members took place on Saturday in a police operation in the western province of Santa Elena in Ecuador, the Attorney General's Office said in a statement on Monday.

The operation was carried out by intelligence personnel after they had received reports and information from citizens about the gang's operations. They identified locations where drugs, weapons and ammunition were stored.

The agency is handling this case based on the penal code, which punishes the crimes of terrorism and trafficking of controlled substances with sentences of 10 to 13 years respectively.

The "R7" gang, involved in crimes such as robbery, extortion and hired killings, is on the list of 22 organized crime groups identified by the government as "terrorists." Enditem

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