logo
Medieval-style executions & gangs who cut out hearts… inside world's ‘murder capital' after Brit lynched in street

Medieval-style executions & gangs who cut out hearts… inside world's ‘murder capital' after Brit lynched in street

The Sun23-04-2025

Tom Bryden
Published: Invalid Date,
FOR years considered a haven of safety and natural beauty, Ecuador is now gripped by brutal cartel warfare - giving the country the grizzly honour of becoming Latin America's murder capital.
Just this weekend, a man believed to be a British national was lynched and burnt alive in a popular eco-tourism area on the country's border with Colombia.
12
12
A mob stormed a police station in Sucumbios Province where he was being held in custody for an alleged shooting, before dragging him out and setting him alight in front of police officers too terrified to intervene.
The shocking scenes are all too common for a nation whose murder rates now rank amongst the highest in the world, with civilians regularly caught in the crossfire and streets turning lawless as cops struggle to keep up with criminality and violence.
In 2023 alone, the country saw more than 8,000 deaths, an eightfold rise compared to 2018, putting it above other nations famed for their cartel violence such as Mexico and Colombia.
And a new record for the most killings in a single month was broken in January, with 781 killings.
After a series of riots saw the gangs take control of prisons, rival factions have waged bitter warfare against each other, carrying out brutal medieval-style executions and hanging bodies from bridges to mark their territory and terrify rivals.
Despite attempts by the country's government and armed forces to crack down on the cartels, Ecuador remains the world's number one exporter of cocaine.
On Thursday, gunmen wearing replica military gear attacked a crowd at a cockfighting ring, opening fire and murdering 12 people.
Local reports indicated that the massacre was carried out by a criminal gang whose rivals were at the event in the north-west of the country.
And earlier this month, at least 22 people were murdered in Guayaquil after rival trafficking factions exchanged gunfire in a fight over territory.
The Easter period often sees violence spike, with 80 killings recorded in just three days around this time last year.
Ecuadorian police bring end to terrifying live TV hijack and arrest several suspects
The terrifying spree saw ten men gunned down while playing a volleyball game in Gauyaquil, while the day before five young men were shot dead in the small fishing village of Puerto López.
And in the early hours of Good Friday last year, 20 armed cartel members stormed a hotel where six young tourists and five children were enjoying a holiday, kidnapping all eleven.
The six adults were taken to a patch of scrubland and shot, with only one surviving.
It is believed they were targeted by the Los Choneros gang, one of the country's largest, who mistakenly believed them to be members of a rival group.
Televised takeover
The most dramatic example of the escalating violence occurred in January last year, when masked gunmen broke into a television studio, threatening the presenter while live on air and trying to force him to read out a warning to police.
'They were kids - kids with guns,' the presenter, Luis Calderón, later told the Guardian.
'They seemed proud of what they were doing… it was as if they were playing a game - only with extremely dangerous and lethal weapons,' he recalled.
Police successfully made 13 arrests following the attack, which also happened in the port city of Gauyaquil.
12
12
12
Then in May, a further eight were killed after a bar was sprayed with bullets where people had gathered to celebrate a birthday in the coastal province of Santa Elena.
Many of the shootings are carried out in a display of dominance, terrifying rivals and keeping local residents subdued.
Gangs such as Los Tiguerones, Los Lobos, and Los Choneros have even resorted to gruesome tactics such as cutting out the hearts of captured rivals and showing off the killings on social media.
Other victims may find themselves being hanged from bridges, their limp bodies serving as a warning to anyone entering the cartel's territory.
While South America has long been associated with drug-related violence, Ecuador for years remained relatively peaceful and free from any serious gang violence.
In 2020, the country had a murder rate of just 7.7 per 100,000 people. But by 2023 that figure stood at a shocking 44.5 murders per 100,000, making Ecuador the deadliest country in the region.
Much of this is driven by a huge increase in the supply of cocaine from neighbouring countries, which recently reached a record high.
'People consume abroad - but they don't understand the consequences that take place here,' Major Edison Núñez of the Ecuadorean national police told the New York Times.
Trafficker's paradise
Bordering Peru and Colombia and with a long coastline, Ecuador is perfectly positioned to facilitate the flow of the drug onwards to North America and Europe.
Police in Ecuador had limited experience dealing with cartels, making them ill-equipped to handle the increase in gang activity.
Many of the gangs were previously small players, focussing only on activities such as extortion and the local drug market.
But the cartels then ruthlessly expanded their numbers, breaking inmates out of prisons and forcing others to do their bidding or face death, even recruiting children as young as 13.
The neutralisation of the Farc rebel group in Colombia, who operated deep in the Amazonian rainforest, also opened up the trafficking routes to new players determined to seize as much of the cocaine trade as they could.
12
12
12
The drug is often exported by hiding it within shipments of items such as bananas and pineapples.
According to the country's coastguard, 90 per cent of the illicit trade leaves via the port of Guayaquil.
As a result, the city has become the epicentre of the battleground between rival drug trafficking gangs and the armed forces, and the final resting place of hundreds of victims.
'It's like a cemetery with human body parts left strewn about,' a local police captain told The Guardian.
In nearby Durán, where more than 400 people were killed in 2023 alone, the streets are graffitied with the motto of the local Los Tiguerones gang - 'God, Peace, Freedom'.
According to the country's President Daniel Noboa, 70 per cent of the world's cocaine is shipped via his country.
A free trade agreement with Europe and the widespread use of the dollar also increased the attractiveness of smuggling the drug through Ecuador.
Open warfare
The recent uptick in violence began in 2020, when the assasination of gang boss Jorge Luis Zambrano, leader of Los Choneros, caused his gang to split into bitterly-opposed factions.
Through a series of massacres the groups then fought to take control of the country's prisons, which then became the bases of their trafficking operations.
In early 2021, fights broke out across four prisons that led to 79 inmates being killed, before later that year 123 died after violence erupted in the notorious Litoral jail in Guayaquil.
Efforts to bring the riots to an end by transferring key prisoners to other prisons had the opposite effect, causing the violence to spread around the country as alliances were forged between gang members.
By 2022, conditions become so bad that a report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights declared that the government had lost control of its prisons.
But the warfare has now openly spilled out into the streets, thanks to the cartels making increased profits.
Such is the extent of their growth that older, more established gangs from Mexico and Albania have provided assistance, financing their activities and assisting with the storage and transport of cocaine.
12
12
12
The armed cartels are now thought to have more than 40,000 members, according to the country's president, outnumbering the 35,000-strong military.
And in an echo of the civil war-like violence that's afflicted Mexico, gangs in Ecuador have also carried out a series of hits on high-profile public prosecutors attempting to bring the gangs to justice, including César Suárez, who was leading the investigation into the attack on the TV station.
Most shockingly, in August 2023, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was gunned down in a hail of bullets as he left a political rally being held in the country's capital, Quito.
However, the fightback from the country's police and armed forces has been fierce.
Following the TV station attack that shocked the nation, a state of emergency was declared with President Noboa warning an 'internal armed conflict' now existed.
Though the crackdown successfully decreased the murder rate by 16 per cent from 2023 to 2024, news reports in the country are still filled with bombings, shootings, and brazen executions.
In March this year, President Noboa called on the US, Europe and Brazil to help with the fight against the cartels.
'We need to have more soldiers to fight this war…we need the help of international forces,' he told the BBC, adding that he hoped to see Trump designate the gangs as terrorist groups.
'They've mutilated people. They've raped thousands of women. They've trafficked human organs. They've traded illegal gold. And moved more than 1,000 tonnes of cocaine in a year.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mike Lynch's sunken superyacht to be lifted in late June as debris is found
Mike Lynch's sunken superyacht to be lifted in late June as debris is found

North Wales Chronicle

time3 hours ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

Mike Lynch's sunken superyacht to be lifted in late June as debris is found

Maritime and investigatory authorities in Sicily approved the final recovery plan following surveys of the seabed and wreck. The stern section of the Bayesian will be temporarily lifted using Hebo Lift 10 — one of Europe's most powerful sea cranes — allowing crews to attach the straps needed to raise the entire yacht later this month. The vessel is expected to be brought to the surface on or around June 26, subject to no further delays, it is understood. It was originally expected to be raised last month but salvage efforts were delayed after a diver died during underwater work on May 9, prompting greater use of remote-controlled equipment. To lift the 56-metre (184ft) vessel, eight steel straps will be attached beneath it, with four messenger lines already fed under the front. The 72-metre mast will be removed using precision cutting tools and the yacht will be rolled upright and lifted using a custom steel cable system. A full underwater survey around the wreck using remote-operated equipment found 17 possible pieces of debris, including a life raft casing and deck furniture, which have been recovered and brought to nearby Termini Imerese – a town where Italian prosecutors investigating the sinking are based. Marcus Cave of British firm TMC Marine, which is overseeing the salvage efforts, said: 'Following detailed engineering assessment and discussions with the authorities, the works on site are now progressing towards the recovery of the wreck. 'The salvage teams will now hopefully be able to make more systematic progress in preparations for the ultimate safe recovery of Bayesian, whilst ensuring that safety of those working on this very complex lifting and recovery operation and environmental protection continue to be prioritised.' Billionaire Mr Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among seven people who died when the Bayesian sank off the coast of the Italian island on August 19. About 70 specialist personnel had been mobilised to the fishing village Porticello from across Europe to work on the recovery operation, which began last month. Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, who were all British nationals. Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) investigators said in an interim report that the Bayesian was knocked over by 'extreme wind'. The yacht had a vulnerability to winds but the owner and crew would not have known, the report said. The others who died in the sinking were US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, and Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the vessel. Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued. Mr Lynch and his daughter were said to have lived in the vicinity of London and the Bloomers lived in Sevenoaks in Kent. The tycoon founded software giant Autonomy in 1996 and was cleared in June last year of carrying out a massive fraud over the sale of the firm to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011. The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal in the case in the US.

Al Qaida-inspired student who stabbed MP can be freed from prison
Al Qaida-inspired student who stabbed MP can be freed from prison

North Wales Chronicle

time3 hours ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

Al Qaida-inspired student who stabbed MP can be freed from prison

Roshonara Choudhry, then 21, was jailed for life for a minimum of 15 years for stabbing Sir Stephen Timms twice in the stomach in May 2010, and for two offences of possessing an offensive weapon. The attack on the now social security minister is thought to be the first al Qaida-inspired attempt to assassinate a politician on British soil. The former King's College London student knifed East Ham MP Sir Stephen as he held a constituency surgery at the Beckton Globe community centre in east London, smiling and pretending she was going to shake hands with him before stabbing him. After she was arrested she told detectives the stabbing was 'punishment' and 'to get revenge for the people of Iraq'. But after a Parole Board hearing on May 20 this year, a panel decided she could be freed from jail. A decision summary said: 'After considering the circumstances of her offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented at the hearing and in the dossier, the panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public.' The document said that at the time of the attempted murder, Choudhry, now 36, had risk factors of problems with family relationships, development of extreme beliefs about the world and willingness to use violence to address perceived injustices. But she had engaged in programmes in prison to understand how her extreme beliefs developed and her conduct in prison was described as 'exemplary'. The summary added: 'Ms Choudhry was assessed as having shown a very high level of insight and understanding of herself. 'She had consistently shown over many years that she no longer held the same beliefs, that she was able to manage her emotional wellbeing effectively and she would no longer be likely to be influenced by other people with strong negative views, having developed the ability to critically evaluate information and to seek help from professionals if she needs it.' The document said the panel did not receive a victim impact statement, or representations from the justice secretary. It was recommended that Choudhry be released on licence under conditions such as living at a designated address, with a specific curfew and subject to an exclusion zone to avoid contact with Sir Stephen. A Parole Board spokesman said: 'Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community. 'Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.'

Al Qaida-inspired student who stabbed MP can be freed from prison
Al Qaida-inspired student who stabbed MP can be freed from prison

South Wales Guardian

time3 hours ago

  • South Wales Guardian

Al Qaida-inspired student who stabbed MP can be freed from prison

Roshonara Choudhry, then 21, was jailed for life for a minimum of 15 years for stabbing Sir Stephen Timms twice in the stomach in May 2010, and for two offences of possessing an offensive weapon. The attack on the now social security minister is thought to be the first al Qaida-inspired attempt to assassinate a politician on British soil. The former King's College London student knifed East Ham MP Sir Stephen as he held a constituency surgery at the Beckton Globe community centre in east London, smiling and pretending she was going to shake hands with him before stabbing him. After she was arrested she told detectives the stabbing was 'punishment' and 'to get revenge for the people of Iraq'. But after a Parole Board hearing on May 20 this year, a panel decided she could be freed from jail. A decision summary said: 'After considering the circumstances of her offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented at the hearing and in the dossier, the panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public.' The document said that at the time of the attempted murder, Choudhry, now 36, had risk factors of problems with family relationships, development of extreme beliefs about the world and willingness to use violence to address perceived injustices. But she had engaged in programmes in prison to understand how her extreme beliefs developed and her conduct in prison was described as 'exemplary'. The summary added: 'Ms Choudhry was assessed as having shown a very high level of insight and understanding of herself. 'She had consistently shown over many years that she no longer held the same beliefs, that she was able to manage her emotional wellbeing effectively and she would no longer be likely to be influenced by other people with strong negative views, having developed the ability to critically evaluate information and to seek help from professionals if she needs it.' The document said the panel did not receive a victim impact statement, or representations from the justice secretary. It was recommended that Choudhry be released on licence under conditions such as living at a designated address, with a specific curfew and subject to an exclusion zone to avoid contact with Sir Stephen. A Parole Board spokesman said: 'Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community. 'Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store