June 3, 2026 / 1:27 PM EDT
/ CBS/AFP
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Eight bodies have been found in plastic bags in a southwestern narco-trafficking hotspot, where eight people went missing on Sunday, Ecuadoran police said Wednesday."It has been confirmed that there are eight bodies" found on the outskirts of the town of Babahoyo, Col. Galo Munoz, the area's police chief, told reporters.The discovery comes in the midst of a U.S.-backed military crackdown on the organized crime gangs that have transformed Ecuador from one of South America's safest countries into one of its deadliest.Eight people, some of whom were related, disappeared on Sunday while traveling from Daule to Milagro, about 30 miles south of Babahoyo.Interior Minister John Reimberg said a note found at the scene suggested the victims, who had yet to be identified, were targeted by the Los Lobos gang, as part of its war with the rival Los Choneros outfit.
Police officers carry out the recovery of bodies found in bags on the outskirts of Babahoyo, Ecuador, on June 3, 2026.
