"Freddy Kruegers" and "Peaky Blinders": The mafias terrorizing Ecuador
A flood of cocaine from Colombia and Peru through Ecuadoran ports has created a plethora of mafias with striking names and ferocious reputations.
Ecuador
Fugitive leader of notorious Ecuador drug gang is indicted in U.S.
José Adolfo Macías Villamar — known as "Fito" — has led Los Choneros and its "network of assassins and drug and weapon traffickers" since at least 2020, federal prosecutors said.
Man found alive after 94 days stranded at sea eating turtles, birds
Maximo Napa was rescued in his small fishing boat after being spotted by an Ecuadoran vessel off the coast of northern Peru.
22 killed, 3 wounded in narco gang gun battles in Ecuador
A police source told AFP the gunfights involved opposing factions of a powerful gang called Los Tigerones.
14 killed in narco gang clashes as police warn of "reprisals"
In one incident, gunmen on motorcycles fired into a crowd gathered outside a grocery store, killing a child and six adults, police said.
Air force colonel shot dead by hitmen in Ecuador
Police said Colonel Porfirio Cedeño, who led an air force special operations unit, was the passenger in a van when more than 20 shots were fired.
Ecuador gangs turn to "death saint" for protection — and human sacrifices
"They stole children from other towns and sacrificed them in front of her (Santa Muerte) when they wanted to land a big hit," a former gang member said.
Pregnant woman's remains, showing signs of sacrifice, unearthed in Ecuador
The young woman is believed to have been part of the Manteño people, who lived along the Ecuadorian coast and survived by agriculture and seafaring.
Ecuador arrests leader of powerful cartel targeted by U.S.
Carlos D was the second-in-command of Los Lobos (The Wolves) and "considered a high-value target," the armed forces said in a statement.
Trump closes immigration offices abroad
At the direction of President Trump, about 1,500 troops are being deployed to the southern border with increased operations to block illegal immigrant crossings set to start in the coming days. Meanwhile, his administration is closing immigration offices former President Joe Biden opened in Latin America. CBS News immigration and politics reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez has more.
Boys who vanished while playing soccer found dead near military base
Saul Arboleda, Steven Medina, and brothers Josue and Ismael Arroyo were playing soccer in Guayaquil on Dec. 8 when they went missing.
Giant waves kill at least 1 in Ecuador, close ports in Peru
Peru closed 91 of its 121 ports until Jan. 1, authorities said.
Kidnapped soccer star rescued after shootout in jungle
Soccer player Pedro Perlaza was freed along with another person, authorities said. "They've been badly treated, but they're alive," police said.
MLS player Marco Angulo, 22, dies from car crash injuries
Marco Angulo died from injuries sustained in a car crash that also killed his former youth team teammate Roberto Cabezas, officials said.
Ecuador imposes overnight blackouts as drought saps hydroelectric power
A drought has dried up Ecuador's hydroelectric power capacity, prompting four consecutive overnight blackouts to conserve energy.
Prison chief shot dead as she drove, 2nd such killing this month
Maria Daniela Icaza's death comes just days after the head of another prison was killed in Ecuador.
Police dogs sniff out 6 tons of cocaine hidden in banana shipment
The discovery of $224 million of cocaine marked yet another major seizure of the drugs concealed alongside the tropical fruit.
Blackout affects millions in Ecuador after transmission line fails
A failure in an energy transmission line produced a blackout throughout Ecuador, the government reported, days after announcing that there would be outages due to production problems.
Ecuador requiring visas for Chinese nationals amid irregular migration
Ecuador is suspending a visa exemption with China after authorities noted many Chinese visitors to the South American country aren't leaving the way the law requires them to.
U.S. sanctions powerful Ecuador crime gang Los Lobos and leader "Pipo"
The U.S. has sanctioned Los Lobos, an Ecuadorian crime gang that officials say is behind much of the violence shaking the country.
Plan to resettle migrants in Europe
The Biden administration is planning to resettle some migrants from four Latin American countries in Italy and Greece, CBS News' Camilo Montoya-Galvez has learned. The plan is meant to curtail illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Fallout from Ecuador raid on Mexican Embassy
Venezuela is the latest country to cut diplomatic ties with Ecuador over a raid on Mexico's Embassy in early April. Ryan Dubé, a reporter at The Wall Street Journal covering politics and economics in Latin America, joins CBS News to discuss how the raid impacts diplomacy in the region.
Mexico's president says country will break diplomatic ties with Ecuador
Police broke into the Mexican Embassy to arrest a former vice president who had sought political asylum there after being indicted on corruption charges.
5 tourists killed in case of mistaken identity in Ecuador
Attackers stormed a hotel and kidnapped six adults and a child, police said.
Ecuador's youngest mayor and her adviser found shot to death
Brigitte Garcia, the 27-year-old mayor of coastal San Vicente, was found dead along with the municipality's communications director, Jairo Loor.
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