In brief
In Guayaquil, Ecuador, police say 39‑year‑old Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, leader of the Los Águilas gang, was killed by two young men who waited in front of the arrivals wing with stuffed toys and flowers before pulling out guns. The incident came a day after President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces to curb escalating gang violence. Authorities detained two teenagers and closed the arrivals hall for over two hours for forensic work. The shooting underscores the growing threat of drug‑trafficking gangs that have made Ecuador a major corridor for cocaine smuggling.
Police in Guayaquil say 39‑year‑old Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, head of the Los Águilas gang, was shot dead as he walked out of the José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport. Video footage shows two young men positioning themselves outside the arrivals terminal with stuffed toys and a bouquet of flowers, before one pulls out a concealed firearm and kills the victim point‑blank.
Security footage also captured a second assailant firing an additional shot before fleeing the scene. One bystander received minor injuries. The arrivals hall was locked for more than two hours while investigators examined the area.
Interior Minister John Reimberg confirmed the victim’s identity and connected the murder to a wider gang crackdown that has seen 75,000 soldiers deployed in a new counter‑gang operation following a national emergency declaration.
Los Águilas, designated a terrorist organisation by President Noboa in 2024, has been linked to drug trafficking, extortion and violent crime. The incident comes amid the country’s record murder rate in 2025, driven in part by its position on the global cocaine supply chain.
Local residents reported panic as trains of passengers scattered when the shots rang out, with newspapers describing a scene of commuters scattered amid chaos.
The state of emergency grants security forces expanded powers, including warrantless home searches where illicit activity is suspected. Yet the gunman’s swift escape and the ongoing rise in homicides underscore the limits of these measures.
Ecuador’s interior security authorities continue to investigate the case, holding the teenagers in custody while pursuing other suspects that may be linked to the violent plot.
