Five severed human heads have been found hanging from poles at a beach.
The beautiful Puerto Lopez, Ecuador where the grim discovery was made (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Five human heads have been found hanging in a shocking display at a popular beach in Ecuador. The severed heads were discovered suspended from wooden poles at Puerto Lopez in Machalilla National Park. Police believe the act was carried out by organised crime gangs operating within Ecuador’s criminal underworld.
The grim discovery comes after four years of escalating violence, following Ecuador’s emergence as a key logistical hub for the storage and distribution of drugs across South America. Criminal cartels are known to operate in the region, with more than 9,000 murders recorded nationwide in 2025.
Authorities say fishermen and their small boats have previously been exploited for illegal trafficking operations.
Images published by Ecuadorian media show a warning message left beside the heads, believed to be aimed at extortionists targeting local fishermen.
The heads were tied with ropes and fixed to poles, while police have yet to locate the victims’ bodies.
At the start of the year, nine of Ecuador’s 24 provinces were placed under a state of emergency following gang-related unrest in Manabí province, where Puerto Lopez is located.
The heads were hung from poles (Image: X)
A battle for territorial dominance and control of drug-trafficking routes has fuelled violent incidents across Manabí province, where Puerto Lopez is located.
Police said on Saturday they had carried out control and surveillance operations in Puerto Lopez amid a state of emergency covering nine of the Andean nation’s 24 provinces, including Manabí.
Police controls were stepped up in Puerto Lopez after a massacre left six people dead two weeks ago. A second armed attack three days later killed a further six people in Manta, also in Manabí province.
Puerto Lopez is best known as a whale-watching destination and a popular hub for domestic and international tourism.
Local media reported the shooting was part of a wider surge in violence over the weekend, with at least nine people killed in separate incidents across the town.
The bloodshed reflects a broader deterioration in security across Ecuador, where violence linked to drug-trafficking routes and gang rivalries has intensified in recent years.
In October, five people were shot dead at a pool hall in Santo Domingo, west of the capital Quito, after gunmen opened fire in what police described as a gang-related dispute.
