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Saturday, August 21, 2021

Multiple Homicides in Ecuador After Record Drug Seizure

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

At least five hitman-style attacks have been registered in the south and in the Guayaquil suburb since the night of Friday, August 13. They are seven dead and at least three wounded.

This wave of murders began hours after the largest drug seizure in the country, as reported by Borderland Beat. Almost ten tons of cocaine was discovered in a building in Vergeles and the Police presume that the deaths would be due to the economic loss that the seizure represents since the drug is valued in the international market at about 450 million dollars.

Colonel Henry Tapia, commander in charge of Zone 8 (Guayaquil, Durán, and Samborondón), presumes that the gangs are looking for culprits, but not the cartels (drug owners), “the criminal gangs below, those who act in the territory,” that is, those in charge of taking large shipments from Colombia through the port.

The agents believe that the gangs are looking for whoever spoke to silence him since it is common for a couple of crimes to occur after a large seizure. Now with ten tons, the Police do not know how many more deaths may occur this week in the city. So far in 2021, a total of 369 violent deaths have been registered in Zone 8, a figure well above the 240 crimes recorded last year in the same period.

Two hours after the seizure and a press conference in which the Minister of the Government, Alexandra Vela, and the Police Commander Tannya Varela were present, two men were killed in the south of Guayaquil as a result of the motor vehicle shots; one of the crimes occurred in the southern Guasmo, the other in the Santa Mónica citadel.

On Saturday, another armed attack was registered in the suburb. This time the murder took place on the 16th and 4th streets of November. Two men were killed and a third victim was shot.

One of the deceased was identified as Leonardo S., 32, who was shot in the head in the back when he was sitting playing cards with some neighbors in a doorway. The hitmen arrived aboard two motorcycles and a car, according to witnesses.

His relatives clarify that he would be a collateral victim and that he was a hard-working man who worked repairing electrical transformers. The other deceased was Kelvin F., who was shot in the face and bled to death in the ambulance. His body was veiled two blocks from the crime scene. This Sunday 15, two other violent events added more fatalities and injuries. At 10:00 p.m., a couple was shot while celebrating on the portal at the Primero de Mayo cooperative in Guasmo Norte.

According to witnesses, six subjects with bulletproof vests got out of a white Kia and two motorcycles and opened fire on the couple who tried to take refuge in a hallway. The woman was shot seven times and the man fifteen. They were transferred to the Guasmo hospital, where the deaths were confirmed.

The victims are Manuel Peña, 24, and Karla Laínez, 20. Peña has a drug record in 2016. In addition, the Police reported that he would be a relative of alias Gorras, former leader of Los Lagartos, one of the gangs that control the exit of drugs in the area called Quarantine, where ships leaving the port are contaminated.

On 44th and A streets, there was another armed attack Sunday night. A man was killed and a couple was shot and wounded. They were outside a home when the hitmen arrived on motorcycles and fired.

Ecuador is prized as an exit point for cocaine due to its location – sandwiched between the cocaine-producing countries of Colombia and Peru – its long Pacific coastline and its large maritime shipping industry.


Source El Universo

6 comments:

  1. I have added the link to the original article on the seizure. Cocaine and weapons as well. http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/08/nearly-10-tons-of-cocaine-and-weapons.html

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  2. So Los Lagartos are local security, transport, collection, enforcement and make payoffs to necessary port officials and law enforcement and judges for CJNG. They are second in influence to Los Choneros, one of the oldest gangs and a large presence throughout the country working for Sinaloa. After Chone boss Rasquiña was released last summer only seven years into a 20 year murder sentence despite a violent stint including at least one brutal escape, he was killed at a Manta shopping center last December, supposedly by Los Lagartos, but it's unlikely they have the clout to make a move like that without a green light from Sinaloa and/or top Choneros. Then an attempt was made on top Chones running the main three prisons in February, but they got word about guns being smuggled in and attacked first, leading to the worst prison bloodbath in Ecuador's history, with about 80 inmates tortured, hung, shot, cut up into pieces and beheaded. No guards were killed as they were MIA while graphic videos were shot of dismembered bodies and killers holding still-beating hearts in the palm of their hand.

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