Latest news with #drugviolence
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Seventeen killed as gunmen attack bar in Ecuador
A 12-year-old boy was among 17 people killed as gunmen fired into a bar in Ecuador, the latest mass shooting in a country ravaged by drug violence. Ecuador's attorney general's office said 14 others were injured in the attack on Sunday night at La Clínica bar in El Empalme. Police Major Oscar Valencia said the gunmen travelled in two pickup vehicles and "opened fire on everyone" with "pistols and rifles", before firing on another group as they fled the scene. He said the child who was killed had ran for over a kilometre before collapsing and dying from gunshot wounds. Images from the scene published in local media showed several bodies on the street covered in white sheets. Investigators said they found at least 40 pieces of ballistic evidence at the scene. Valencia said witnesses reported the men shouted "active wolves" - a possible reference to a local gang who has vied for control of drug trafficking routes. Guayas has been on the frontline of worsening violence between drug traffickers. A week ago, nine people were killed while playing pool in a bar in the tourist resort of Playas, also in the same Guayas region as the latest shooting. Police said those killed in the earlier incident had been "collateral victims" and not the intended targets. President Daniel Noboa declared war on organised crime last year. Since then, the nation has become one of the most violent in the region, with a homicide rate of 38 per 100,000 people in 2024. In the first five months of 2025, Ecuador recorded 4,051 homicides, according to official figures. According to official sources, nearly three quarters of the world's cocaine production passes through Ecuador. Powerful Ecuador drug lord 'Fito' extradited to US
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Seventeen killed as gunmen attack bar in Ecuador
A 12-year-old boy was among 17 people killed as gunmen fired into a bar in Ecuador, the latest mass shooting in a country ravaged by drug attorney general's office said 14 others were injured in the attack on Sunday night at La Clínica bar in El Major Oscar Valencia said the gunmen travelled in two pickup vehicles and "opened fire on everyone" with "pistols and rifles", before firing on another group as they fled the said the child who was killed had ran for over a kilometre before collapsing and dying from gunshot wounds. Images from the scene published in local media showed several bodies on the street covered in white said they found at least 40 pieces of ballistic evidence at the said witnesses reported the men shouted "active wolves" - a possible reference to a local gang who has vied for control of drug trafficking routes. Guayas has been on the frontline of worsening violence between drug traffickers.A week ago, nine people were killed while playing pool in a bar in the tourist resort of Playas, also in the same Guayas region as the latest shooting. Police said those killed in the earlier incident had been "collateral victims" and not the intended Daniel Noboa declared war on organised crime last year. Since then, the nation has become one of the most violent in the region, with a homicide rate of 38 per 100,000 people in the first five months of 2025, Ecuador recorded 4,051 homicides, according to official to official sources, nearly three quarters of the world's cocaine production passes through Ecuador.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Yahoo
Mexican authorities find 20 bodies, some decapitated, in Sinaloa state
Twenty bodies, several of them decapitated, have been found on a highway bridge in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, Mexican authorities say, as rival drug cartel factions fight one another in the area. The Sinaloa state prosecutor's office reported a grisly scene on Monday: Four headless corpses were found on a roadside, 16 bodies were discovered inside an abandoned vehicle near the state capital, Culiacan, and five human heads were found inside a bag. Authorities said the bodies were left with a note, apparently from one of the cartel factions, although the note's contents were not immediately disclosed. Feliciano Castro, a Sinaloa government spokesperson, condemned the killings and said authorities need to examine their strategy for tackling organised crime due to the 'magnitude' of the violence seen. 'Military and police forces are working together to re-establish total peace in Sinaloa,' Castro said. Members of the public in the state, however, said authorities have lost control. Sinaloa has been gripped by months of violence fuelled by rival drug traffickers vying for control of routes used to produce and transport narcotics, including fentanyl, that are often destined for the United States. The groups are split between members loyal to Sinaloa Cartel cofounders Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman and Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada. The violence peaked after the arrest in July of Zambada, who is on trial in the US. The US announced it had arrested 76-year-old Zambada and 38-year-old Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 'El Chapo' Guzman's son, at an airport near El Paso, Texas. Zambada accused Guzman Lopez of kidnapping him in Mexico and flying him to the US in a private plane against his will. 'El Chapo' has been serving a life sentence in the US for drug trafficking since 2019. Guzman Lopez pleaded not guilty last July to drug trafficking and other charges in federal court in Chicago. In September, Zambada pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking, murder and other charges in a New York court. The violence in Sinaloa has killed more than 1,200 people, according to official figures. The Sinaloa drug cartel is one of six Mexican drug trafficking groups designated as 'terrorist' organisations by the US. Criminal violence, most of it linked to drug trafficking, has claimed about 480,000 lives in Mexico since 2006 and left more than 120,000 people missing.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Yahoo
Twenty bodies, some headless, found in Mexican cartel bastion
The bodies of 20 people, several of them decapitated, were found on a highway bridge in a part of Mexico where factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel are fighting each other, authorities said Monday. Four headless corpses were by the roadside while 16 bodies were discovered inside an abandoned vehicle, the Sinaloa state prosecutor's office said. Five human heads were found inside a bag at the scene. All of the bodies showed signs of gunshot wounds, prosecutors said. Local media reported that four decapitated bodies were left hanging from the bridge by their legs -- a common tactic by criminal gangs -- but there was no official confirmation. Violence has soared in the northwestern state since the capture of cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada almost a year ago. The veteran drug trafficker claimed he was kidnapped in Mexico by a son of notorious druglord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Zambada said he was then flown against his will in a private plane to the United States, where El Chapo himself is serving a life sentence. The conflict, which has left more than 1,200 people dead according to official figures, pits gang members loyal to El Chapo and his sons against others aligned with Zambada. The cartel is one of six Mexican drug trafficking groups designated terrorist organizations by the United States. Criminal violence, most of it linked to drug trafficking, has claimed around 480,000 lives in Mexico since 2006 and left more than 120,000 people missing. str-sem/dr/mlm
News.com.au
30-06-2025
- News.com.au
Twenty bodies, some headless, found in Mexican cartel bastion
The bodies of 20 people, several of them decapitated, were found on a highway bridge in a part of Mexico where factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel are fighting each other, authorities said Monday. Four headless corpses were by the roadside while 16 bodies were discovered inside an abandoned vehicle, the Sinaloa state prosecutor's office said. Five human heads were found inside a bag at the scene. All of the bodies showed signs of gunshot wounds, prosecutors said. Local media reported that four decapitated bodies were left hanging from the bridge by their legs -- a common tactic by criminal gangs -- but there was no official confirmation. Violence has soared in the northwestern state since the capture of cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada almost a year ago. The veteran drug trafficker claimed he was kidnapped in Mexico by a son of notorious druglord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Zambada said he was then flown against his will in a private plane to the United States, where El Chapo himself is serving a life sentence. The conflict, which has left more than 1,200 people dead according to official figures, pits gang members loyal to El Chapo and his sons against others aligned with Zambada. The cartel is one of six Mexican drug trafficking groups designated terrorist organizations by the United States. Criminal violence, most of it linked to drug trafficking, has claimed around 480,000 lives in Mexico since 2006 and left more than 120,000 people missing.
