Execution at Guayaquil airport: hired killers used stuffed toy and flowers to approach their victim
Minors armed with a bouquet of flowers and a stuffed toy murdered a suspected drug trafficker at Guayaquil airport, Ecuador.
Execution at Guayaquil airport: hired killers used stuffed toy and flowers to approach their victim
A man was shot dead at Guayaquil airport, the main city in Ecuador, in an attack carried out by hired killers who posed as people waiting for a relative. The attackers, who turned out to be minors, waited at the entrance to the international arrivals lounge carrying a bouquet of flowers and a stuffed toy, according to surveillance video released later.
When the victim exited the airport building, the gunmen drew their weapons and fired at close range at the man. After committing the crime, the shooters were detained by authorities present at the scene.
The deceased was identified by the Interior Ministry as Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, leader of the criminal gang Los Águilas in the canton of El Triunfo. This group constitutes the armed wing of Los Choneros, one of the most powerful criminal organisations in the South American country, according to reporting by n-tv.
Investigations had been opened against the victim for multiple crimes, including homicide, formation of an illicit association, and illegal possession of firearms. The case highlights the escalation of violence linked to drug trafficking gripping Ecuador, where criminal groups have extended their operations even to crowded public spaces such as airport terminals.
The use of minors as hired killers and the audacity of the attack in an airport security zone have raised concerns about the capacity of the authorities to contain the advance of organised gangs in Ecuadorian territory.
Source: Google News LU DE