Police in Ecuador have reported a horrific discovery on a popular tourist beach, where five human heads were found hanging from ropes attached to wooden poles.
A Gruesome Warning on the Shore
The bloody scene unfolded on Sunday in Puerto López, a coastal town in Manabí province best known as a prime destination for whale-watching. According to authorities, a warning sign left beside the severed heads was directed at alleged extortionists targeting local fishermen.
A police report has directly attributed the atrocity to a conflict between criminal groups. The area is known to be active with drug-trafficking networks linked to transnational cartels, which frequently co-opt fishermen and their small boats for illicit activities.
Spiralling Violence in a Key Province
The incident is the latest violent episode in a brutal dispute for territory and control of drug-trafficking routes across Manabí. The discovery comes just two weeks after a massacre in Puerto López left six people dead, followed by a second armed attack in Manta three days later that killed another six.
Local media reported that the beheadings were part of a wider surge of violence over the weekend, with at least nine people killed in separate incidents across the town.
Police stated they had carried out increased control and surveillance operations in Puerto López on Saturday. These actions are part of an ongoing state of emergency enforced in nine of Ecuador's 24 provinces, including Manabí, which restricts certain civil rights in an attempt to contain the violence.
Ecuador's Deepening Security Crisis
This bloodshed underscores a dramatic deterioration in security across Ecuador. The nation has been engulfed in a wave of violence for over four years, having become a major logistical hub for the storage and distribution of drugs entering via its northern border with Colombia and southern border with Peru.
2025 was Ecuador's most violent year on record, with official figures citing more than 9,000 homicides, surpassing the previous record of 8,248 set in 2023.
The recent months have seen a string of high-profile attacks:
- In October, five people were shot dead at a pool hall in Santo Domingo in a gang-related dispute.
- In September, another pool hall attack left seven dead and four wounded.
- In December, former Ecuador international footballer Mario Pineida, 33, was killed in an armed attack in Guayaquil.
The gruesome display in Puerto López marks a new low, bringing the country's gang wars to the doorstep of its vital tourism industry.
