14 people were killed and 17 others were injured in attacks in Ecuador, and “traces of torture” appear on some of the victims

Ecuador On Monday, it reported two attacks that killed 14 people and injured 17 others, with some victims showing signs of torture.

The South American country is a starting point for cocaine shipments to the United States and Europe and a hub for about 20 criminal groups involved in extortion and contract killings.

The first attack occurred around 11 pm Sunday (0400 GMT) in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city and the capital of Guayas province.

Local police Colonel Carlos Fuentes told reporters that up to seven people got off motorcycles and pickup trucks and opened fire on a soccer match in the neighborhood.

The attack, which was attributed to the so-called Freddy Krueger gangIt left six dead and 17 injured, including three minors who were at the sporting event.

Police also reported that they found eight bodies in the town of Buena, located in the southwestern province of Los Rios.

A local police report stated that the victims, four men and four women, bore “traces of torture,” had their hands bound with duct tape, and “their heads covered with black bags.”

Local media said the group was part of a larger group of 12 people who traveled to the area from the capital, Quito. The other four party members, an elderly woman and three girls, are still missing.

Ecuador recorded more than 4,600 murders in the first half of the year, a 47% increase over the same period in 2024, data from the Ecuadorian Organized Crime Observatory showed.

Ecuador, once considered one of the safest countries in Latin America, has seen a significant escalation in violence in recent years, as its location between two of the world’s largest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, has made it a major drug transit hub.

The country has recently been rocked by deadly attacks on prisons linked to drug gangs. officials said last month 17 people were killed In a riot in an Ecuadorian prison, rampaging prisoners beheaded and mutilated their rivals.

Just days before that, 13 prisoners and a guard They were reported killed in southwestern Ecuador. Officials said the dead inmates belonged to the rival Los Choneros and Los Lobos gangs, two of the largest drug trafficking groups in Ecuador. the Recently appointed United States Both gangs are foreign terrorist organizations.

José Adolfo Macias Villamarnicknamed Fito, is the leader of the Los Choneros gang, and was It was captured in June This year, more than a year after he escaped from prison. He had been serving a 34-year prison sentence since 2011 for his involvement in organized crime, drug trafficking and murder.

In July, the Ecuadorian government Veto delivery To the United States where He pleaded not guilty to FeesIncluding international distribution of cocaine and firearms trafficking.