Ecuador: Suspected gang leader killed in flower-bouquet ambush at Guayaquil airport
Gunmen who hid weapons inside a flower bouquet and stuffed toys shot dead a suspected gang leader outside the international airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city. The killing dramatised the country’s escalating drug-fuelled violence and the use of public spaces by armed networks.
According to Ecuador’s police, the attack happened at the public exit of Guayaquil international airport during the busy lunchtime period. The gunmen had concealed their weapons inside a flower bouquet and several stuffed toys before opening fire, then fled the scene in a pickup truck. Police said the victim was a known figure suspected of leading a drug-trafficking gang.
Guayaquil has been at the centre of Ecuador’s deepening security crisis for the past three years. The government has repeatedly declared states of emergency since January 2024 and the army runs sustained operations in the city’s port districts. Officials say the latest killing may mark a new phase in the rivalry between coastal gangs fighting for control of cocaine trafficking routes.
The Interior Ministry announced a full investigation and stepped-up security around the airport. The case has reignited debate over President Daniel Noboa’s security strategy, with the opposition arguing that public-space killings of this kind signal a loss of state control. Civil-society groups have called for stronger oversight of paramilitary-style operations.
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