Five human heads were found on a beach in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador, on Sunday. They were hanging from ropes.
Police say this may be a warning between groups that are fighting over who controls the illegal drug trade in the area.
The scary discovery was made on a beach in Puerto Lopez, a small fishing town on Ecuador’s coast.
News reports say that a sign was found near the heads. The sign warned that others would suffer the same fate if they kept threatening and stealing from local fishermen.
The sign also said that the town belonged to a specific group. It mentioned “vaccine cards,” which is believed to be a local term for protection money.
Puerto Lopez is a popular place for tourists to go whale watching.
Police say that the violence is likely due to a fight between drug trafficking groups.
The victims are said to be between 20 and 34 years old. One of them had a criminal record.
The bodies that go with the heads have not been found yet.
There has been gang violence on the beach before. Last month, nine people, including a baby, were killed in similar incidents.
Ecuador had a very violent year last year, with over 9,000 murders reported.
