GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador, Feb 15, (V7N) – Colonel Porfirio Cedeno, an Ecuadorian air force officer leading anti-narcotics operations, was gunned down by hitmen on Friday in Guayaquil, a city at the heart of Ecuador’s escalating drug violence.

Cedeno, who headed a special operations unit focused on combatting drug trafficking, contract killings, and extortion, was ambushed while traveling to a military ceremony. His pickup truck was riddled with bullets, and his driver sustained a gunshot wound to the leg, according to police official Santiago Tuston.

Assassination in Broad Daylight

Authorities said more than 20 shots were fired at Cedeno’s vehicle by gunmen who were likely in another car. His truck was left immobilized in the middle of the road, its windows shattered and body peppered with bullet holes.

Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo condemned the attack, calling for an aggressive response:

"This act of cowardice must mark the end of an era of terror and the miserable people who led it."

The military has offered a reward—the amount undisclosed—for information leading to the arrest of Cedeno’s killers.

Ecuador’s Drug War and Rising Violence

Ecuador, once a peaceful nation, is now one of the most violent in South America due to drug cartels using its strategic Pacific ports to ship cocaine to the U.S. and Europe.

With 20 active criminal gangs engaged in trafficking, extortion, and kidnappings, the country saw a record 47 homicides per 100,000 people in 2023. A state of emergency and military crackdown launched by President Daniel Noboa has reduced that figure to 38 per 100,000, but violence remains rampant.

Political Reactions and National Crisis

Cedeno had served as a security team member for former President Rafael Correa, who mourned his "dear friend" on social media.

The Ecuadorian presidency issued a statement acknowledging the killing as a stark reminder of "the state of war in which Ecuador is immersed."

With Noboa seeking re-election in an April runoff against challenger Luisa Gonzalez, the fight against organized crime remains at the forefront of national debate.

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