Ecuador is experiencing a wave of v!0lence linked to d√ug trafficking, and five human h£•ads were discovered h@πging from ropes at a beach.

The heads were found on a charming beach in Puerto Lopez, which is in the southwest of the nation. 

The incidents are attributed by police to a dispute between cr!minal organizations.

Authorities claim that fishermen and their small boats have been used by d=ug-trafficking networks with ties to international cartels in the region.

A warning sign next to the heads in pictures released by Ecuadorian media outlets was aimed at people who were allegedly extorting fishermen in Puerto Lopez, a small fishing port. 

The ropes were fixed to wooden poles on the beach. 

Fighting over territory and control of d_ug-trafficking routes has triggered violent episodes across the Manabi province, where Puerto Lopez is located. 

Police said that they had carried out control and surveillance operations in Puerto Lopez amid an ongoing state of emergency enforced in nine of the country’s 24 provinces, including Manabi. 

The state of emergency was imposed with the aim of containing the spiral of v!0lence, especially in coastal areas – which it has failed to do – and restricts certain civil rights.