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Gruesome discovery shocks coastal town
Five severed heads were placed on a beach in Puerto López, Ecuador, on Sunday, accompanied by a threatening message aimed at gang members targeting local fishermen.
Victims identified amid rising violence
Police confirmed the remains belonged to five men, aged 20 to 34, who had been reported missing days earlier. One victim had a prior conviction for illegal firearm possession. Authorities are still searching for their bodies.
Gang control fuels bloodshed
Puerto López, a port town on Ecuador's Pacific coast, has become a battleground for drug-trafficking gangs. The area is a key transit point for cocaine smuggled from Colombia and Peru to the U.S. and Europe.
Local gangs, allied with Mexican and Colombian cartels, extort businesses and fishermen, punishing resistance with brutal violence. The sign left near the heads explicitly warned against stealing from or extorting fishermen.
Record homicides and gang wars
Ecuador recorded 9,176 murders in 2025, the highest annual toll in its history, according to the interior ministry. Puerto López has been particularly hard-hit, with two mass shootings in late December alone.
On December 28, gunmen killed six people, including a two-year-old child, in a beachfront attack. Police linked the massacre-and another shooting the previous day that left three dead-to a turf war between factions of the Los Choneros gang.
Los Choneros: A transnational threat
The U.S. designated Los Choneros a Foreign Terrorist Organization in September, citing its role in escalating violence. The group's leader, known as Fito, was extradited to the U.S. in July 2025.
"This is a clear message to those defying gang rule," a local official told reporters, requesting anonymity for safety reasons.
What's next
Security forces have increased patrols in Puerto López, but residents say fear persists. The interior ministry has not yet announced additional measures to curb the violence.
