A 39-year-old man. Identified as Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, was killed in a dramatic attack at the airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, according to police; he was accused of leading a faction of one of the country’s most feared criminal gangs.

Flower Bouquet Ambush

Security footage captured two young men waiting outside the arrivals terminal with stuffed toys and flowers before one of them approached the victim, but the attacker pulled a gun from behind a teddy bear and shot Suástegui point-blank. Police have detained two teenagers in connection with the crime, the latest in a widespread wave of gang violence.

Escalating Gang Violence

This incident occurred just a day after Ecuador’s president declared a fresh state of emergency in 10 provinces, including Guayas, where the attack took place. Ecuador’s interior minister, John Reimberg, stated that Suástegui was the leader of the Los Águilas gang in El Triunfo, a region east of Guayaquil.

Los Águilas, designated as a ‘terrorist organisation’ by President Daniel Noboa in 2024, is accused of being heavily involved in drug trafficking and extortion. The gang is among several criminal groups that have turned Ecuador into a crime hotspot with one of the highest murder rates in the Western Hemisphere in recent years.

Ecuador’s strategic location between Colombia and Peru, the world’s two largest producers of coca—the base ingredient in cocaine,has made it a key corridor for drug smuggling to the US, Europe, and other regions. While Guayaquil has been particularly affected by drug and gang-related violence, the daylight attack outside the airport’s arrival hall shocked locals.

Shock and Panic at Airport

According to newspaper El Universo, passengers scattered in panic as the shots rang out. Police reported that one bystander was injured in the attack. Video footage showed a man pulling a suitcase collapsing on the floor as the shooting unfolded. The security footage also captured the first gunman running away while the second fired another shot at Suástegui.

The arrivals hall was closed for more than two hours while forensic experts and police carried out investigations at the scene. President Noboa has been trying to quell gang violence by declaring states of emergency, which give security forces extra powers such as being able to search homes without a search warrant when they have reasonable grounds to suspect illicit activity. Despite these measures, the murder rate reached a record high in 2025.