Two fishermen were shot at on Thursday in Ecuador, one fatally and another injured, while their boat idled on the open sea after being intercepted by a second vessel carrying a crew of about seven men. The assailants opened fire, and local authorities say a fleeing suspect escaped after the attack, according to the National Police. The injured survivor was admitted to a hospital, and doctors have not yet released a prognosis. The incident underscores the volatile security situation at sea near Ecuador’s economic ports and how criminal groups exploit maritime routes along the Pacific coast.
The assault occurred around noon local time, roughly 12:00, off the coast in front of the Posorja port, in the Guayaquil region. The precise motive remains unclear, but investigators say they are reviewing possible links to smuggling networks and organized crime. Police units, working in tandem with prosecutors, launched manhunts to identify and apprehend those responsible for the armed attack and to gather evidence from the scene. This response reflects a broader pattern of maritime violence that has troubled Ecuador in recent months and has drawn attention from regional security services.
Just a day earlier, another violent episode rocked the Gulf of Guayaquil when six workers on a shrimp farm were wounded after two boats approached and gunmen opened fire. In a separate incident on the same week, authorities reported that an armed group of approximately thirty individuals breached the fishing port of Esmeraldas in the north coast with cars and boats, carrying out a massacre that left nine people dead, including a Colombian national. Officials consider this massacre part of a broader struggle among rival organized crime gangs seeking control of key territorial corridors and economic hubs along Ecuador’s coast.
Drug trafficking has long shadowed Ecuador, turning it into a critical stepping stone for cocaine flowing toward North America and Europe, with major ports like Guayaquil serving as launch points for illicit shipments. The recent violence at sea and in coastal towns is often discussed in the context of this smuggling trade, where criminal groups seek to secure routes, protect markets, and intimidate rivals. The authorities stress that strengthening maritime patrols, port security, and interagency cooperation is essential to curb such violence and to safeguard local fishermen and port workers who rely on these waters for their livelihoods.