Ecuador /
Seven people were murdered on Sunday, September 29, in the province of Guayas, on the coast of Ecuadorrwhere drug trafficking gangs fight for power with blood and fire.
​At least eight gunmen fired shots, leaving as a result “seven people dead and three injured” in the town of Samborondón, located in the southwest of the country, the largest Dennis Cardenasdeputy head of the police unit in charge of investigating homicides (Dinased).
Attack during clandestine cockfight
Cárdenas explained that there were about 200 people at the site who were attending “a clandestine cockfight”. The armed individuals who arrived on motorcycles also “stole their belongings” from the attendees.
Earlier, the Police indicated on the social network “Specialized units are on the scene investigating, in order to clarify the causes and capture those responsible for this incident.” occurred in that agricultural region.
Authorities have not yet determined whether it was a targeted attack or a robbery.
An uncontrolled escalation of violence?
The digital diary First fruits He noted that the gunmen “started shooting repeatedly, and some bodies had up to 40 shots fired.”
In most of Ecuadorafter a popular consultation in 2011, shows that include the death of animals, such as cockfights, were prohibited.
Drug trafficking and increase in homicides
Due to the war between drug gangs for control of the routes and the market, Homicides grew in Ecuador to a record of 47 per 100,000 people, compared to the rate of six in 2018.
Drug seizures have also increased in this country of 17 million inhabitants. Between January and September, authorities have seized 307 tons, exceeding what was confiscated in all of 2023, when they captured the record of 219 tons.
Samborondón is about 30 kilometers from the port of the neighboring city of Guayaquil, the main logistics center for sending drugs to United States and Europeunder the control of drug organizations linked to international cartels.
Cárdenas pointed out that it is the “first time” that a massacre occurs in that area. In videos that circulated on social networks, the bodies can be seen lying covered in blood, while survivors asked for help.
In recent years, Ecuador has become the scene of massacres in prisons and streets. Since 2021, Some 460 inmates have been killed.
Violence spreads throughout the country. On September 21, an armed attack left five dead. Public officials do not escape crime either. Within a month, five prison workers were murdered.
The government and the fight against organized crime
Faced with a violent onslaught by organized crime, the government of President Daniel Noboa declared war on around twenty criminal organizations in January and deployed the military to the streets to combat them.
The government maintains that violent deaths have decreased. Between January and September 2024, 4,236 murders were recorded, compared to 5,112 in the same period of 2023, according to the Home Office.
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