Drug gang leader shot dead at Guayaquil airport in front of passengers
Carlos Suastegui, leader of the "Las Águilas" gang, was gunned down at Guayaquil airport, Ecuador's second largest, in the presence of travellers.
Drug gang leader shot dead at Guayaquil airport in front of passengers
A criminal gang leader was shot dead at Ecuador's second largest airport whilst passengers watched the scene unfold.
Interior Minister John Reimberg identified the victim as Carlos Suastegui, leader of the criminal group "Las Águilas". In videos circulated on social media, a young man can be seen embracing another man and shouting "Help, help! My father!", while nearby a person lies on the ground.
According to the interior minister's information, police detained two young men suspected of the crime and confiscated two firearms. "We heard eight or ten shots, we were frightened," a witness told television channel TC. The airport was temporarily evacuated.
Suastegui was considered a dangerous criminal. An investigation was underway against him for homicide, illegal possession of weapons, and criminal association. Hours before the fatal attack on the drug lord, Ecuador's president Daniel Noboa had declared a state of exception in 10 of the country's 24 provinces due to the spread of violence.
Deadly clashes between drug cartels have made Ecuador the most violent country in South America. According to figures from the Interior Ministry, last year the homicide rate reached 51 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, equivalent to one homicide per hour. The country ranks among the world's two largest cocaine producers—Colombia and Peru—and has become a major transit nation for drug smuggling destined for the United States and Europe.
Source: LRT
Source: LRT