An Ecuadorean man, identified as a leader of one of the nation’s most notorious criminal organizations, was fatally shot while exiting the airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city.
Security footage reveals two young men waiting outside the arrivals terminal, holding stuffed animals and flowers.
One of them approached the victim and, pulling a firearm concealed behind a teddy bear, shot him at close range.
Authorities have apprehended two teenagers in connection with the incident, which is part of a growing trend of gang-related violence in the country.
The shooting occurred just one day after Ecuador’s president announced a new state of emergency across ten provinces, including Guayas, where the attack took place.
Ecuador’s Interior Minister, John Reimberg, confirmed that the victim was 39-year-old Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, who was reportedly the leader of the Los Águilas gang based in El Triunfo, a region situated east of Guayaquil.
Designated as a “terrorist organization” by President Daniel Noboa in 2024, Los Águilas is alleged to be deeply involved in drug trafficking and extortion activities.
The gang is among several that have transformed Ecuador from a relatively peaceful nation into a crime-ridden area with one of the highest murder rates in the Western Hemisphere in recent years.
Situated between Colombia and Peru, two of the world’s largest coca producers, Ecuador has become a crucial transit route for cocaine smuggling to the United States, Europe, and beyond.
Guayaquil has been particularly affected by drug-related violence, and the brazen attack just outside the airport’s arrival hall has left many residents in shock.
Local newspaper El Universo reported that passengers fled in panic as gunfire erupted.
Authorities stated that one bystander sustained injuries during the shooting, and video footage captured a man with a suitcase collapsing to the ground as chaos ensued.
The footage also shows one assailant fleeing while another fired an additional shot at Suástegui.
The arrivals area was closed for over two hours as forensic teams and police conducted their investigations.
President Noboa has sought to combat gang violence through states of emergency, which grant security forces enhanced powers, including the ability to search homes without warrants if there are reasonable grounds for suspicion of illegal activities.
Despite these efforts, the murder rate reached an unprecedented high in 2025.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong