MIAMI - The severed heads belonging to five men have been found on display at a popular beach destination for whale-sighting tourists on the Pacific coast on Sunday.
Police say the discovery was reported by local residents during the early morning hours of Jan. 11 at the local fishing village of Puerto López, where five decapitated heads were strung on a piece of tight-rope between two wooden sticks with an accompanying message issuing a gruesome warning to local gang members seeking extortion fees from local fishermen:
“The town belongs to us. Keep going out to rob the fishermen. And keep asking for vaccine cards, because we already have them all.”
Vaccine cards, or Vacunas, is a colloquial term used by gang members to refer to an extortion fee collected from local residents.
The small village of Puerto López has experienced an increase in crime in recent years as the new administration of President Daniel Noboa continues to bolster the nation’s internal security apparatus and wage war against local drug trafficking organizations.
Ecuador has grown into one of the largest hubs for the distribution of the international cocaine trade, as murder rates began rising in 2016.
Local groups from neighboring regions in Peru, Colombia, and Mexico have moved in to take advantage of the lucrative trade routes along Ecuador’s Pacific Ocean with sea lanes that lead north to buyers in the United States and Europe.
The local authorities reported to the scene of the crime on Sunday to determine the identities of the victims and determine motive. Local media outlet, Primicias, reported that one of the victims has been identified as 24-year-old Bernardo Ramon Medranda Mendoza, who had a criminal record for drug possession and possession of a firearm.
