‘Gang turf wars’ – Dock, buildings destroyed in Ecuadorian port of Puerto Bolivar after series of explosions

“A dock in Puerto Bolivar and several multi-story buildings were destroyed after a series of explosions in the area, which reportedly followed a battle between drug trafficking groups for control of the market, in the early hours of Sunday. Footage filmed on Monday shows piles of rubble and destroyed buildings that reportedly belonged to Ecuadorian drug gangs. National Police officers were seen alongside the Armed Forces demolishing the remains of the structures, which were reportedly used to store drugs, money and weapons. “Armed individuals arrived in the area, both by land and sea, to plant explosives on the foundations of the buildings, which they later detonated. “We do not yet have an estimate of the number of people involved, although we know unofficially that this is a territorial gang conflict,” said police captain Diego Tenerema of the incident. He claimed that police arrived “immediately” to “close the area” and that there were no casualties. According to local media, several armed men broke into a building on a private pier, took valuables and detonated explosives that completely destroyed the pier. Other media reported that police also carried out controlled explosions of unexploded devices found at the scene. Police investigations are ongoing. In January, President Daniel Noboa declared an “internal armed conflict” against 22 criminal gangs and declared a state of emergency, deploying the army across the country. The repression comes ahead of Ecuador’s general elections in 2025.”