Five Decapitated Heads Found on Tourist Beach in Ecuador: Warning from Cartels.

According to ТСН: Five decapitated human heads were discovered hanging from ropes on one of Ecuador's popular tourist beaches. This horrific incident underscores the rise of violence associated with drug cartels.

The police found the heads on the beach of Puerto López, located in the southwest of the country. They were suspended from ropes to wooden posts next to a warning sign likely addressed to a group of people who were extorting local fishermen. Authorities estimate that this act was committed by a criminal group as a threat to competitors.

Local law enforcement notes that drug traffickers often use fishermen and their boats to transport drugs. After the discovery of the bodies, police increased control and patrols in the Puerto López area.

Conflicts Between Cartels

Conflicts between drug cartels in the Manabí province have intensified in recent months due to territorial battles and control over drug supply. A state of emergency has already been declared in nine of Ecuador's 24 provinces, including Manabí.

2025 was the bloodiest year in the country's history, with over 9,000 murders recorded. Local prisons are virtually controlled by gangs that carry out brutal executions and hang bodies on bridges. In April, armed individuals in camouflage costumes shot 12 people and also killed 22 others during confrontations between rivals.

Travel Advisory

The UK Foreign Office recommends avoiding all travel, except for critically necessary, to Manabí and six other regions of the country due to ongoing danger.

Ecuador, bordering Peru and Colombia, is a significant transit point for drugs on their way to North America and Europe. In 2020, gangs that previously only engaged in extortion began to actively expand their activities, freeing prisoners and coercing others to obey their orders under the threat of death.

According to the coast guard, 90% of smuggling passes through the port of Guayaquil, which has become the epicenter of conflict between cartels and the military. Local police leaders describe the situation as a 'graveyard with human body parts scattered everywhere.'

In the neighboring city of Durán, where over 400 people were killed in 2023, gang graffiti from Los Tiguerones is visible on the streets, reading 'God, Peace, Freedom.'

Recall, earlier the convoy of Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa became a target for an attack by a group of approximately 500 people during his visit to the Cañar province.

These events reflect the complex situation in Ecuador, where drug-related violence impacts not only local residents but also poses serious threats to tourists. The rising tensions between armed groups and old criminal practices continue to have a devastating impact on the country's security.