Ecuadorian police reported finding 10 dead bodies at a property in Guabo, a community in El Oro province in the country’s south. The discovery, made on Sunday, comes amid a surge in violence linked to drug trafficking gangs competing for control of territory and smuggling routes. This year, the escalating violence led President Daniel Noboa to declare a state of internal armed conflict and label nearly two dozen gangs as terrorist organizations.
Colonel Pablo Fajardo shared details with local reporters, stating that nine of the bodies were found, and a kilometer further, there was a dismembered corpse in a jute bag. The victims’ nationalities remain unknown, and Fajardo suggested they might be foreigners who were attacked while resting. Bullet casings found at the scene included 9mm rounds and 5.56-caliber rifle ammunition, and authorities believe other individuals who were with the victims might have fled the area.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the victims may have had criminal backgrounds, including involvement in illicit trafficking, robbery, and attempted murder. Ecuador’s police are continuing their investigation to identify the victims and determine the exact circumstances of the attack, which highlights the growing instability caused by organized crime in the country.
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