Beachgoers in Puerto López, Ecuador, were met with a gruesome discovery on Sunday: five severed human heads hanging from ropes along the shoreline. Authorities believe the display was intended as a violent warning tied to conflict between rival drug trafficking groups, according to reports.
The scene was found on a beach in Puerto López, a small fishing port on Ecuador’s western coast. Reports citing local police were published by the Associated Press, BBC, and CBS News.
Local media shared photos of the aftermath. Next to the heads, a wooden sign had been placed with a message threatening anyone accused of targeting local fishermen, according to the AP.
“The town belongs to us,” the sign read, according to CBS News. “Keep robbing fishermen and demanding vaccine cards, we already have you identified.”
CBS News reported that “vaccine cards” is a local term referring to protection payments.
The AP noted that the Puerto López beachfront is also a well-known tourist area, popular for whale watching.
Police have said the killings appear connected to a territorial dispute between rival trafficking groups, the AP reported.
Authorities have not yet identified all five victims, according to the BBC. The men were reportedly between 20 and 34 years old. One of those identified had a criminal history, the BBC added.
The BBC also reported that the bodies connected to the severed heads have not been found.
Puerto López has seen repeated outbreaks of gang-linked violence, CBS News reported. The network noted that nine people — including a baby — were killed on the beach last month in attacks that police attributed to the same ongoing dispute.
Ecuador is coming off its most violent year on record, with more than 9,000 homicides reported in 2025, according to the AP.
