Authorities in Ecuador have discovered eight bodies concealed in plastic bags in a region notorious for narco-trafficking, coinciding with the disappearance of eight individuals on Sunday, as reported by local police on Wednesday.
Colonel Galo Munoz, the police chief for the region, confirmed to the media that the bodies were located on the outskirts of Babahoyo.
This grim finding emerges amid a military offensive supported by the United States aimed at combatting organized crime syndicates that have shifted Ecuador from one of South America’s safest nations to one of its most perilous.
The eight missing individuals, some of whom were family members, vanished while traveling from Daule to Milagro, approximately 30 miles south of Babahoyo.
Interior Minister John Reimberg indicated that a note discovered at the scene implied that the victims, who have not yet been identified, were targeted by the Los Lobos gang as part of its ongoing conflict with the rival gang, Los Choneros.
Los Lobos (The Wolves) and Los Choneros, named after the city of Chone, are prominent gangs involved in drug trafficking and extortion, with connections to international drug cartels. The United States officially labeled Los Lobos as a terrorist organization in September.
Modesto Freire, the state prosecutor in Milagro, revealed that two of the missing persons were minors and were reported to be farmers from Daule, an area known for rice cultivation.
Ecuador acts as a critical transit point for approximately 70% of the cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru, the two leading producers globally.
The struggle for dominance in the drug trade has resulted in a surge of violence, particularly in coastal cities such as Guayaquil and Manta, which are key smuggling routes.
Earlier this year, police uncovered the bodies of six young individuals who had gone for a motorcycle ride in Santa Elena province, adjacent to Guayas province, where Guayaquil is situated.
Last year, Ecuador experienced over 9,200 violent deaths, marking a record high for the nation.
Right-wing President Daniel Noboa, a close ally of former President Trump, has implemented curfews and dispatched military forces across various provinces in an effort to curb gang violence.
Recently, American commandos collaborated with Ecuadorian military personnel in a joint operation aimed at dismantling a suspected criminal network linked to an alleged narco-terrorist group along the coast.
In early March, joint military operations were initiated by the United States and Ecuador targeting “designated terrorist organizations” within the country.
Gang violence remains rampant in Ecuador following the recapture in June 2025 of the country’s foremost drug lord, Adolfo Macías, who leads Los Choneros, after his escape from a maximum-security prison in 2024. In July 2025, the Ecuadoran government extradited Macías to the United States, where he faces numerous drug trafficking and firearm-related charges.
