Five tourists were kidnapped and murdered by drug traffickers on a beach in Ecuador

Two people were arrested in this case on Saturday Kidnapping, interrogation and murder of five tourists On a beach southwest of Ecuadorby drug traffickers, who apparently confused them with members of a rival gang.

six adults and five children Ecuadorians who arrived Ayampe Spa He was kidnapped the next day on Thursday afternoon when around twenty armed men barged into his hotel.

The victims were “interrogated” and the bodies of five adults were found. bullet wounds on a nearby highway, said local police commander Richard Vaca.

The tourists had no ties to criminal organizations, he said, but the attackers “apparently confused these individuals as their adversaries in the micro-trafficking dispute in the sector.”

In the raid they seized Automatic Rifles, Pistols, Explosives and Ammunition,

Ecuador was once one of the most peaceful countries Latin Americais under the yoke of criminal gang Drug trafficking routes are disputed with blood and fire. A cycle of violence has led to an increase in the murder rate, which rose from 6 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to a record of 43 in 2023.

chairman Daniel Noboa He expressed his solidarity with the families of the victims on his X account on Saturday.

,This is a sign that the narcissist and his associates are looking for a place to scare us, but they will not succeed.“, He warned.

In January, Noboa declared the country in internal armed conflict after a violent attack by criminal gangs left about twenty people dead, attacks on the press, explosions and more than 200 kidnappings in prisons and on the streets.

Despite the state of emergency imposed since January on the orders of the government, violence is not stopping in Ecuador. On Friday, four people including a policeman were murdered in the city. blanketIn Manabi.

last weekend’s mayor st vincentOne was shot dead in a new case of political violence in the same province. His death is linked to the assassination of a presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio And the mayor of Manta, agustín intriagoIn 2023.

There was a riot in one on Wednesday guayaquil prison (South-West) Three prisoners were killed and six were wounded. This happened in the same jail from where he had escaped. Adolfo “Fito” Maciascriminal gang leader ChonerosOne of the premier in the country.

According to Noboa, the prison rebellion and recent violence “are not isolated incidents,” as they occurred “on the eve of a popular consultation” promoted by the government. In his X account, the President pleaded guilty “drug terrorist” And its “Collaborative Politician” Of rebellion.

Noboa, in power since November, called a referendum on April 21 to consult Ecuadorians on whether to tighten measures to combat drug trafficking. Questions also include an independent way for the military to support the police without any need for exception statusExtradition of Ecuadorians and increased penalties related to organized crime terrorism and drug trafficking,

Ecuador’s prisons are centers of operations for drug trafficking gangs linked to cartels in Colombia and Mexico. Since 2021, more than 460 prisoners have been killed in continuing armed conflicts between these criminal groups.

Located between Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest cocaine producer, Ecuador years ago became a logistics hub for shipping drugs to the United States and Europe.

(AFP)