Gang leader Los Ángeles assassinated at Guayaquil airport; two minors detained
The head of the criminal organisation Los Ángeles, Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, was shot dead at the entrance of the José Joaquín de Olmedo airport. Two teenagers aged 15 and 16 were arrested as suspected hit men.
Gang leader Los Ángeles assassinated at Guayaquil airport; two minors detained
The head of the criminal organisation Los Ángeles, Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, aged 39, was shot dead at the entrance to the international arrivals hall of José Joaquín de Olmedo airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The attack occurred at around 18:00 hours, according to information published by Philenews.
Security camera footage shows that the attackers were waiting for the victim whilst holding toy stuffed animals and flowers as camouflage. One of the hit men drew a weapon concealed behind the stuffed animal and fired at close range against Suástegui Villanueva. Subsequently, the second perpetrator fired the fatal shot.
Another man who was standing next to the criminal leader at the time of the assault was seriously wounded in the attack.
The Los Ángeles organisation is linked to drug trafficking and extortion. Ecuador is situated between Colombia and Peru, the two largest cocaine producers in the world, and has become the main route for the trafficking of narcotics to the United States, Europe and other destinations.
Following the homicide, police officers arrested two minors, aged 16 and 15, in the airport car park as suspected perpetrators of the crime. The weapons used in the attack were also recovered. A territorial dispute between rival gangs is being investigated as a possible motive for the incident.
According to available information, the victim had a police record.
Source: Philenews