Five human heads were discovered hanging from ropes on a beach in Ecuador, underscoring the country’s escalating violence linked to drug trafficking.
The gruesome discovery was made on a beach in Puerto Lopez, a small fishing and tourist town in the southwest. Police say the incident is connected to ongoing conflicts between rival criminal groups battling for territory and control of drug-trafficking routes.
Authorities noted that drug networks with ties to transnational cartels are active in the area and have increasingly exploited local fishermen and their small boats for illicit operations. Ecuadorian media reported that a warning message was left near the scene, allegedly directed at extortionists targeting fishermen in the port community. The heads were reportedly tied with ropes and hung on wooden poles along the beach.
Puerto Lopez lies within Manabi Province, a coastal region that has become a hotspot for violent crime as gangs fight over strategic trafficking corridors.
Police said control and surveillance operations have been intensified in the area as part of a broader state of emergency, currently in force in nine of Ecuador’s 24 provinces, including Manabi. The emergency measures were imposed to curb spiralling violence—particularly in coastal zones—and include restrictions on certain civil liberties, though authorities admit the measures have so far failed to stem the bloodshed.
The incident has shocked residents and highlighted the growing security crisis facing Ecuador as organized crime tightens its grip on key coastal regions.
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