Overview

• Unknown assailants forcibly entered the Guayaquil home of Emelec defender Jackson Rodríguez, abducting his wife and five-year-old child.
• Rodríguez, who was present during the attack, hid under a bed and witnessed the kidnappers leaving with his family.
• Authorities have not received any ransom demands, leaving the motives of the kidnappers unclear as investigations continue.
• Guayaquil has become a focal point of Ecuador's security crisis, with powerful drug-trafficking gangs exploiting Pacific ports for cocaine smuggling.
• President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in early 2024, deploying the military to combat gang violence, but criminal activity persists.