Central Guayaquil, Ecuador. File photo, January 2021. (Photo: Arabsalam, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

ECUADOR · SECURITY

Police in Ecuador have uncovered a hidden Guayaquil bunker packed with anti-personnel mines and plastic explosives. The raid took place on the afternoon of Wednesday 21 October 2026, in a house in the north of the port city.

Primicias, a leading Ecuadorian news outlet, reported the find on 22 October. The Guayaquil bunker matters to the US because Washington has branded several Ecuadorian gangs terrorist groups.

What Police Found in the Guayaquil Bunker

Officers from the National Police found 13 Claymore mines in the Guayaquil bunker, a type of anti-personnel mine that fires metal pellets in one direction. They also recovered 10 charges of C4, a plastic explosive, together with the systems needed to start and set them off.

The haul included a rifle, a shotgun, ammunition magazines and a black bag holding more than 690 cartridges. Police said that so much ammunition and explosive material would have posed a great danger to the neighbourhood if it had gone off.

A Hideout Built to Resist a Raid

Police called the Guayaquil bunker sophisticated, with a hydraulic system near the house’s water tank and a complex lock. Primicias compared that technology with the hideouts used by the gang leader known as Fito in the coastal province of Manabí.

The house itself looked ordinary, with only household items, empty bags, a bed and a suitcase inside. Juan Espín, the police chief of Guayaquil’s Distrito Modelo, said intelligence officers had investigated the property for two months before the raid.

A covered arcade in Guayaquil, Ecuador. File photo, January 2021. (Photo: Arabsalam, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Why Washington Watches Ecuador’s Gangs

In September 2025 the US State Department named two Ecuadorian gangs, Los Choneros and Los Lobos, as foreign terrorist organizations. The two groups have fought each other and the state for years over cocaine routes from the Pacific coast.

Fito, the former Los Choneros leader whose hideouts Primicias used as a comparison, was extradited to the United States in July 2025. He pleaded not guilty in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, to charges that include conspiracy to distribute cocaine and firearms offences.

What Police Say About the Raid

The National Police called the raid a hard blow against criminal economies and tied it to its Operational Strategy 3D plan. Officials did not say which gang was hit, and they did not report any arrests at the site.

Guayaquil has been a centre of the gang violence that has shaken Ecuador in recent years. Our guide to Ecuador’s geopolitics explains how the security crisis connects to US policy.

What It Means for US Readers

For Americans who travel to Ecuador, the Guayaquil bunker shows how heavily armed some criminal networks remain. The State Department rates Ecuador at Level 2, which means exercise increased caution, and cites crime, terrorism, unrest and kidnapping.

For US businesses and banks, terrorism designations bring legal risk, because knowingly giving material support to a designated group is a federal crime. Readers who want the background can follow the Los Lobos pretrial case, which shows how Ecuador’s courts handle the same networks.

What Is Not Known

Police have not said who owns or rented the house, which gang used the Guayaquil bunker, or how long the weapons were stored there. No arrest linked to the raid has been announced.

It is also not clear what the explosives were meant to target or how the weapons reached Ecuador. Officials have not said whether prosecutors have opened a case or whether the bunker belongs to a known gang’s network.

More: Ecuador news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did police find in the Guayaquil bunker?

Police found 13 Claymore anti-personnel mines, 10 charges of C4 explosive with detonation systems, a rifle, a shotgun and more than 690 cartridges. The weapons were hidden in a bunker inside a house in north Guayaquil.

When did the raid happen?

The raid took place on the afternoon of Wednesday 21 October 2026. Primicias reported it on the morning of Thursday 22 October.

Was anyone arrested?

Police have not reported any arrest, and the house was empty when officers went in. Investigators have not named an owner or a suspect.

Is the bunker linked to the gang leader Fito?

No official has linked the bunker to Fito or to the gang Los Choneros. Primicias only noted that its technology resembles hideouts that Fito used in Manabí.

Is it safe for Americans to visit Guayaquil?

The State Department rates Ecuador at Level 2, exercise increased caution, and cites crime, terrorism, unrest and kidnapping. Travelers should check the latest advisory and local guidance before they go.

Sources: Primicias, Hallan en Guayaquil un búnker con minas antipersonales, armas y municiones, 22 October 2026; Federal Register, Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation of Los Choneros and Los Lobos, 5 September 2025; KPTV, Ecuadorian drug lord Fito pleads not guilty after being extradited to New York, 23 July 2025.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief