Five Severed Heads Found on Ecuador Beach in Drug Dispute

Five severed human heads were discovered hanging from ropes strung between wooden poles on a popular tourist beach in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador, on Sunday, in what authorities described as a violent message amid rivalries between drug trafficking groups.

The gruesome display was found along the shoreline of Puerto Lopez, a small fishing port in the southwestern Manabi province known for whale watching. Local police attributed the act to an ongoing territorial dispute between criminal organizations that rely on fishermen and their boats to transport drugs. Images circulated by Ecuadorian media showed the heads suspended by green ropes, placed next to a wooden sign warning against extortion. The sign read, in part, "The town belongs to us. Keep robbing fishermen and demanding vaccine cards, because we already have them all identified." Officials explained that "vaccine cards" refers to local slang for protection payments demanded from residents.

Police have identified the victims as five men aged between 20 and 34. One, 24-year-old Bernardo Ramon Medranda Mendoza, had a prior criminal record for possession and carrying firearms. The decapitated bodies have not been located, and no...