Ecuadoran police confirmed the discovery of eight bodies stuffed in plastic bags on the outskirts of Babahoyo on Wednesday. The victims had gone missing four days earlier while traveling from Daule to Milagro, a journey of about 50 kilometers. Police Chief Colonel Galo Munoz stated the remains were found in the southwestern region, an area known for heavy narco-trafficking activity. Interior Minister John Reimberg said a note left at the scene indicated the Los Lobos gang claimed responsibility, targeting the victims in its ongoing conflict with the rival Los Choneros gang. Both groups are major drug trafficking and extortion networks with international cartel links. Modesto Freire, the state prosecutor in Milagro, confirmed two of the missing were minors and that the families described them as rice farmers from Daule. Ecuador, a key transit point for 70% of cocaine from Colombia and Peru, has seen a surge in violence tied to drug route control, especially in port cities like Guayaquil and Manta. In January, six young people were found dead in Santa Elena province after going on a motorbike ride. The country recorded over 9,200 violent deaths last year, the highest number on record. President Daniel Noboa has responded by imposing curfews and deploying the military across several provinces to combat gang operations.
President Daniel Noboa deploys the military to fight gangs while the Los Lobos leave bodies in plastic bags just outside Babahoyo. The state's response follows violence that already claimed eight lives, including two minors from Daule. Families were left waiting four days before the discovery, despite the area's known gang activity. The scale of last year's 9,200 violent deaths makes each new atrocity part of a pattern the government has not stopped.
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