US: In Ecuador, a gang shot six people, wounding six more
By Ahmad Hadizat Omayoza, Mamos Nigeria
Police reported that an apparent gang shootout in Guayaquil, a port city engulfed by a wave of drug trafficking-related violence, resulted in six fatalities and six injuries on Monday.
According to AFP, the second mass shooting in Guayaquil in June appeared to have been a squabble between rival gangs. All six people who were hurt are in good health.
Two weeks ago, three men opened fire in a house in Guayaquil, in the southwest of the South American nation, killing a policeman, injuring four others, and wounding eight others.
As rival gangs fight for markets and drug routes in the streets and prison, these kinds of attacks have become increasingly common in Ecuador, particularly in Guayaquil. As a result, a trail of dead bodies is left in their wake.
Castillo stated that in the early hours of Monday, the assailants arrived in a black vehicle in a populous neighborhood, “four or five got out,” and opened fire despite the presence of several people in the street.
The officer stated, “It is pure retaliation for previous acts of violence.” They commit murder without mercy.
Since February 2021, vicious fighting between rival criminal groups in Ecuadorian prisons has resulted in the deaths of over 420 prisoners, some of whom have been beheaded.
Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, largest port, and economic center on the country’s southern Pacific coast, has become the bloodiest center of a turf war in recent years.
Due to its strategic location, the port city serves as a launch pad for drug shipments to Europe and the United States.
Ecuador is situated among Colombia and Peru, the world’s top makers of cocaine. Additionally, the country uses the US dollar as its currency, which is advantageous to cartels.
