A horrifying discovery has been made on a once-tranquil beach in Ecuador, underscoring the extreme violence gripping the nation. Five human heads were found hanging from ropes at the picturesque Puerto Lopez beach in the country's southwest.
A Warning in the Sand
The grim find was made on Monday, 12 January 2026, in the Machalilla National Park area. According to local authorities, the heads were suspended from wooden poles planted in the sand. Ecuadorian media published images showing a warning sign placed beside the remains, which was reportedly directed at individuals accused of extorting local fishermen in the small port.
Police have directly linked the atrocity to a brutal conflict between rival criminal organisations fighting for dominance. The area is known to be active with drug-trafficking networks connected to transnational cartels, who frequently use fishermen and their boats for illicit activities.
Spiralling Violence in Manabi Province
Puerto Lopez is located in Manabi province, a region where violent clashes over territory and control of lucrative drug-smuggling routes have become commonplace. This latest gruesome incident occurred despite increased police controls in the port town. Those controls were implemented after a massacre claimed six lives two weeks prior, followed by a second armed attack three days later in Manta that left another six dead.
The national government has enforced a state of emergency in nine of Ecuador's 24 provinces, including Manabi. This measure, intended to curb the surge in violence—particularly in coastal areas—grants authorities expanded powers but has so far failed to prevent such attacks. The emergency status restricts certain civil rights in an attempt to restore order.
Ecuador's Record-Breaking Bloodshed
This beachfront horror is part of a devastating trend. 2025 was Ecuador's most violent year on record, with official figures reporting more than 9,000 murders. This surpassed the previous record set in 2023, when 8,248 homicides were recorded.
The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office currently advises against all but essential travel to Manabi and six other coastal regions of Ecuador. It issues the same warning for areas within 20 kilometres of the Ecuador-Colombia border. The country's instability was further highlighted in October 2025, when the government reported an assassination attempt against the President after a group of 500 people attacked his convoy.
