Ecuador's Durán city faces gang extortion after couple's home attacked

A podcast by InSight Crime recounts the experience of Andrés and Juliana, a couple who bought a home and ran a small business in Durán, Ecuador. During the 2023 holidays, masked members of the Chone Killers gang opened fire on their house and demanded extortion payments, leaving the family fearful.

The episode uses their story to illustrate how organized crime in Ecuador has expanded beyond cocaine trafficking. Gangs such as the Chone Killers and the Latin Kings now generate millions through drug dealing, kidnapping and extortion, turning Durán from a quiet suburb of Guayaquil into one of the nation’s most violent cities. The rise in gang activity, driven by drug routes, pandemic effects and uneven development, has eroded community ties, forced residents to stay indoors, and threatened small businesses across the city.