Ecuador is facing a growing wave of violence that was recently reflected with the murder of a criminal leader perpetrated in broad daylight at the gate of the Guayaquil airport by two 15-year-old hitmen who shot in cold blood and at point-blank range, leaving at least two people injured.

The crime occurred on Wednesday afternoon at the international arrivals gate of the José Joaquín de Olmedo airport in Guayaquil, one of the epicenters of the violence crisis that the Andean country is experiencing due to the rise of organized crime.

The air terminal was closed for two hours after the attack, with no one being able to enter or leave, until the Police and security personnel confirmed the arrest of the perpetrators and guaranteed that there were no major risks.

How was the attack?

The hitmen, both dressed in white t-shirts and blue pants, appeared to be two teenagers who were waiting for the departure of a loved one who they were going to receive with a stuffed animal of the video game character Sonic and a bouquet of flowers, without raising suspicions among the people passing by or the security personnel.

However, these objects allowed the two attackers to hide pistols that they quickly pulled out when they identified the victim and shot him at very close range, also leaving two injured.

First one did it, and when the man fell to the ground, the second one passed by to finish him off and try to escape. Everything was captured on security cameras.

Who is the victim?

The murdered person was Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, an alleged leader of the criminal gang Los Águilas, a faction of Los Choneros, the oldest criminal gang operating in Ecuador, whose top leader was the drug trafficker José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias “Fito”, recaptured in 2025 and later extradited to the United States, where he remains imprisoned.

Suástegui was considered by Ecuadorian authorities as “high risk” and a “prioritized criminal target.”

According to the Minister of the Interior, John Reimberg, the victim had four criminal records and was imprisoned on two occasions. He was investigated for crimes such as illicit association, murder and possession of unauthorized weapons.

The material murderers are two teenagers born in 2010 and 2011, respectively, supposedly sent by a rival of Suástegui to end his life, due to a dispute between criminal gangs.

After completing their mission, both boys fled but were quickly caught by security personnel in the airport's car parking area.

With information from EFE.