The Global Advisor: Spotlight on Latin America | June 2025
Ecuador
Police on 24 April rescued the wife and son of a footballer in Guayaquil (Guayas province) Armed criminals on 23 April 2025 violently broke into the house of a Club Sport Emelec footballer in Guayaquil (Guayas province) and kidnapped his wife and five-year-old son. The criminals forced the victims into a vehicle and transported them to an improvised structure in the Nueva Prosperina district of the city. The criminals then demanded a large ransom for their release. Police successfully negotiated a significantly lower settlement, nonetheless, the footballer decided not to pay. Police on 24 April launched a successful rescue operation, locating both victims. The perpetrators escaped into a nearby wooded area.
Police rescue HGV driver abducted by kidnappers in Santa Ana (Manabí province) Criminals on 5 May 2025 kidnapped the 60-year-old owner of an HGV and his 27-year-old son whom they had contracted under false pretences to transport a motorcycle. They intercepted them en route in Portoviejo (Manabí province) and transported the victims to a rural residence in Santa Ana (Manabí province) before demanding a large ransom payment from their family. The victim’s daughter, who was following the victims’ phones GPS signal when the incident took place, reported the incident to the authorities. Police responded quickly and used the information to locate and rescue the two victims as well as another victim who had also been kidnapped under similar circumstances. Officers arrested three perpetrators.
Control Risks comment
Control Risks comment
Wealthy individuals will continue to face the risk of targeted kidnaps in Guayaquil over the next 12 months. According to the Control Risks database, the number of kidnaps of business owners increased by 67% in 2024 in Guayaquil compared to the previous year. Furthermore, business owners, high net-worth individuals, and their dependants accounted for over 58% of victims whose employment status was reported in 2024.
Advertising fake work contracts to lure victims is becoming an increasingly common tactic among kidnappers across Latin America, including in Ecuador. Freelance workers and business owners across a variety of sectors including transport and logistics, building and construction, and professional services, will face a heightened risk of this kind of kidnap across the coming year. Perpetrators are likely to lure victims to rural and less densely populated areas to abduct them.
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