Ecuadorian police said they arrested four people in connection with an armed attack on a cockfighting arena in which 12 people were killed. This is reported by the BBC, writes UNN.
Details
Weapons and copies of police and army uniforms were seized during police raids in the northwestern province of Manabí on Friday ‒ a day after the attack in the rural community of La Valencia.
Footage of the attack, circulated on social media, showed gunmen entering the ring and opening fire as frightened spectators scrambled for cover.
Local media reported that the attackers in fake military gear were members of a criminal group whose rivals were participating in the cockfight.
Law enforcement officers in the region initiated criminal proceedings.
Background
It is believed that about 20 criminal groups operate in the Latin American country, competing for control over major drug trafficking routes.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said that about 70% of the world's cocaine now passes through Ecuador's ports before being shipped to the US and Europe.
The drug is smuggled into Ecuador from neighboring Colombia and Peru – the world's two largest cocaine producers.
This January, there were 781 homicides in the country, making it the deadliest month in recent years. Many of them were related to drug trafficking.
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