5 severed heads found hanging on tourist beach amid escalating gang clashes, police say
Published by RawNews1st
Five severed human heads were found hanging from ropes on a beach in southwestern Ecuador Sunday in a gruesome display linked to ongoing gang violence sweeping across the country, according to reports.
Authorities said the display was likely the result of a conflict between criminal groups operating in the area.
The killings came amid a wave of bloody violence tied to drug trafficking and organized crime, which has surged across Ecuador in recent years.
,The Associated Press reported that the grim discovery underscores the tactics used by criminal groups competing for control of territory and trafficking routes, especially along the country’s coastline.
Police said the heads were found on a tourist beach in the small fishing port of Puerto Lopez, in Manabi province.
The images shared by Ecuadorian media and on social media showed the severed heads tied with ropes to wooden poles planted in the sand, with blood visible at the scene.
A wooden sign left beside the heads carried a threatening message aimed at alleged extortionists targeting local fishermen.
The message warned those demanding so-called “vaccine cards” protection payments commonly extorted by gangs that they had been identified, the report said.
