In a gruesome display that has sent shockwaves through Ecuador’s tourism sector, authorities discovered five human heads hung from wooden posts at PUERTO LÓPEZ, Ecuador a popular beach on Sunday, January 11, 2026. The grisly scene, discovered in the coastal town of Puerto López, serves as a stark reminder of the brutal “narco-war” currently ravaging a nation once considered a peaceful haven in Latin America.
The heads were found alongside a wooden board scrawled with a chilling ultimatum: “The town belongs to us. Keep robbing fishermen and demanding vaccine cards, we already have you identified.” The message refers to “vaccine cards”—the local term for extortion payments demanded by gangs from local businesses and individuals.
A Town Under Siege
Puerto López, renowned globally as a premiere destination for whale watching, has been transformed into a flashpoint for cartel-linked violence. This incident follows a tragic pattern for the municipality:
- December 2025 Massacre: Only weeks ago, a mass shooting at the same beach boardwalk left nine people dead, including a two-year-old girl.
- Strategic Value: Located in the Manabí province, Puerto López is a vital maritime node for drug trafficking routes moving cocaine from neighboring Colombia and Peru to North American and European markets.
The Stats: A Record-Breaking Wave of Violence
The discovery marks a dark beginning to 2026, following Ecuador’s deadliest year on record. According to data from the Ecuadorian Observatory of Organized Crime, the country ended 2025 with a staggering homicide rate of 52 per 100,000 inhabitants.
| Year | Homicide Rate (per 100k) | Context |
| 2021 | 14.0 | Initial surge in prison massacres |
| 2023 | 45.0 | Assassination of presidential candidate |
| 2025 | 52.0 | Full-scale “Internal Armed Conflict” declared |
Failure of the Militarized Response?
President Daniel Noboa, who declared an “internal armed conflict” against 22 criminal organizations in early 2024, has faced mounting pressure as the violence refuses to subside. Despite a heavy military presence in the streets and a renewed 60-day State of Emergency signed on December 31, 2025, gangs have shifted their tactics toward more public and symbolic acts of terror to intimidate both rival factions and the state.
Observers suggest that the fragmentation of major gangs like Los Choneros has led to a chaotic “free-for-all” among smaller, more violent cells battling for control of extortion and illegal gold mining.
Impact on Tourism and Diplomacy
The recurring violence at beach destinations has prompted international travel advisories—including from the UK Foreign Office and the U.S. State Department—to warn against all but essential travel to the coastal provinces of Manabí and Guayas.
While the Galápagos Islands remain largely shielded from the mainland’s turmoil, the “beach terror” strategy threatens to cripple the local economy of coastal towns that rely almost exclusively on international visitors.
Ecuador Manabi Puerto Lopez Beach Pixcture on Picryl
