- By Shivangi Sharma
- Mon, 12 Jan 2026 03:43 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Police in Ecuador are investigating a chilling discovery after five severed human heads were found hanging from ropes tied to wooden poles on a beach in the small fishing port of Puerto Lopez, in Manabi province. Images published by Ecuadorian media outlets showed the bloody scene, which quickly spread across social media and sparked widespread outrage and fear.
Next to the heads, authorities found a handwritten warning sign believed to be directed at alleged extortionists targeting local fishermen. According to police, the display was intended as a public threat amid rising criminal violence in the area.
Warning Linked To Extortion Of Fishermen
The message left at the scene read: “The town belongs to us. Keep robbing fishermen and demanding vaccine cards, we already have you identified,” according to AFP. “Vaccine cards” refer to protection payments commonly extorted by criminal gangs. Investigators believe the sign was meant to intimidate rival groups involved in extortion rackets along the coast.
A police report attributed the killings to a conflict between criminal organisations competing for control in the region. Following the discovery, police significantly increased patrols and surveillance operations in Puerto Lopez. The town remains under a state of emergency that is currently enforced in nine of Ecuador’s 24 provinces, including Manabi. The emergency measures allow authorities to restrict certain civil rights in an effort to contain escalating violence, particularly in coastal areas.
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Puerto Lopez has seen repeated bloodshed in recent weeks. Two weeks ago, a massacre in the town left six people dead. Just days later, another armed attack in the nearby port city of Manta killed six more people during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Ecuador Gripped By Record Gang Violence
Ecuador has been engulfed in a wave of gang-related violence for more than four years after emerging as a key logistical hub for drug storage and trafficking routes linking Colombia and Peru. Criminal groups are locked in violent disputes over territory and control of smuggling corridors.
Official figures show that 2025 was Ecuador’s most violent year on record, with more than 9,000 homicides nationwide, surpassing the previous high of 8,248 killings recorded in 2023.