Ecuadorian gang leader shot dead in airport ambush
Ecuador police say 39‑year‑old Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, a senior figure in the Los Águilas gang, was shot dead as he exited José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil.
Security footage captured two young men standing outside the arrivals terminal with stuffed toys and flowers. One of them pulled a gun hidden behind a teddy bear and fired point‑blank, killing Suástegui.
The interior minister released police statements naming the victim and said two teenagers were detained for their role in the shooting.
The attack came just a day after President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in ten provinces, including Guayas where the murder took place.
Los Águilas, legally designated a terrorist organization by President Noboa in 2024, has been charged with heavy involvement in drug trafficking and extortion.
The country’s location between Colombia and Peru, two of the largest coca producers, has turned Ecuador into a key corridor for smuggling cocaine into the United States, Europe, and beyond.
Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, has been hit hard by drug‑related violence. A daylight attack outside the airport’s arrivals hall shocked local residents and led to “panic and confusion,” according to news reports.
Video footage shows passengers scattering in panic, a bystander being injured, and a man with a suitcase collapsing on the floor as the shooting unfolded.
First gunman ran away while a second fired another round at the victim. The arrivals hall remained closed for more than two hours while forensic investigators and police carried out the investigation.
Although the state of emergency grants security forces additional powers—such as searching homes without a warrant on reasonable suspicion—Ecuador’s murder rate hit a record high in 2025, underscoring the ongoing challenges posed by gang violence.
