At least 22 people were killed on Thursday in violent clashes between rival drug gangs in Guayaquil, a city in southwestern Ecuador known for its high crime rates linked to organized crime, police reported.
Local police confirmed that, in addition to the fatalities, three others sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to various medical centers for treatment.
The confrontation involved two factions of the Los Tiguerones drug cartel, one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the country, according to a police source cited by AFP.
Ecuador, strategically located between Colombia and Peru—the world’s largest cocaine producers—has become a battleground for drug-related violence. The government of President Daniel Noboa has labeled these criminal organizations as “terrorist groups.”
The country’s homicide rate has skyrocketed, rising from six murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to 38 per 100,000 in 2024, after hitting a record 47 in 2023.
Noboa, who is seeking re-election in the second round of the presidential elections on April 13 against leftist candidate Luisa González, has made combating drug-related violence a top priority.
He has declared a state of emergency in several provinces, deployed military forces to the streets, and in February announced plans to request special forces from allied nations to assist in the fight against “narco-terrorism.”
According to a report by Ecuador’s Ministry of the Interior, cited by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), approximately 73% of the world’s cocaine supply passes through Ecuador.
In 2024 alone, Ecuadorian authorities seized a record 294 tons of drugs, primarily cocaine, compared to 221 tons in 2023.
