A 39‑year‑old man accused of leading the Los Águilas gang was shot dead outside the arrivals hall of José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil on 17 June.
Security footage captured two young men standing with stuffed toys and a bouquet of flowers; one of them stepped up, drew a gun from behind a teddy bear, and delivered a point‑blank shot to the victim, while the second fired an additional bullet before escaping.
Police have detained two teenagers in connection with the crime, marking another spike in the country’s escalating gang violence, which has pushed Ecuador’s murder rate to the highest levels in the Western Hemisphere in recent years.
The attack happened a day after President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in ten provinces, including Guayas, granting security forces expanded powers to search homes without a warrant if they suspect illicit activity.
Los Águilas, designated as a “terrorist organisation” in 2024, is heavily implicated in drug trafficking and extortion, with Guayaquil’s streets becoming a key transit point for cocaine originating from Colombia and Peru.
The shooting left one bystander injured and prompted the airport’s arrivals hall to remain closed for over two hours while forensic teams conducted investigations.
Earlier reports noted passengers scattering in panic as gunfire rang out, underscoring the chilling reality of violence outside one of the city’s most bustling transport hubs.
