Severed heads with a warning found on Ecuador beach
Five human heads that came with a chilling warning were found on a beach in Ecuador.
As reported by CBS News, Ecuadorian police said the severed heads were seen tied to wooden posts at Puerto Lopez beach on Sunday, Jan. 11, following violent clashes between rival gangs.
The heads were fastened with ropes on two posts at the tourist site known for whale watching. Nearby, a wooden sign carried a warning: “The town belongs to us. Keep robbing fishermen and demanding vaccine cards. We already have you identified.”
Per the media outlet, the message appeared to target gang members involved in a kind of extortion, locally known as “vaccine cards.”
In December, at least nine people—including an infant—were killed on the same beach in a separate outbreak of gang violence.
Data from the Ecuadorian Observatory of Organized Crime showed that 2025 has become the country’s most violent year on record, with a homicide rate of 52 per 100,000 people.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has vowed to fight criminal organizations connected to international drug cartels, though his administration’s two-year military campaign has apparently failed to significantly reduce killings.
Ecuador has been experiencing growing criminal activity since 2021 through gangs associated with Colombian and Mexican drug trafficking.
The country’s crisis is rooted in its role as a key drug-trafficking route between Colombia and Peru, two of the world's largest cocaine producers, making it a battleground for gangs competing for control of the drug trade.
