Ecuador’s ‘Canal da Morte’: The Open-Air Corpse Dump Reflecting National Violence

Ecuador has seen a surge in violent crime and homicide rates, leading to the emergence of “Canal da Morte” (the Canal of Death), an open-air site in Guayaquil where bodies are frequently dumped by organized crime groups. According to reports from G1 and local news agencies, this phenomenon reflects a systemic collapse in public security and the territorial control exercised by gangs in the coastal region.

The crisis is centered in Guayaquil, the country’s largest city and a critical port for global trade. The “Canal da Morte” is not a single official location but a colloquial term for drainage canals and wasteland areas where criminal factions leave victims as messages to rivals or the state. This practice has become a visible marker of the conflict between gangs and the Ecuadorian government’s attempt to regain control through a state of emergency.

Ecuador’s homicide rate surged from roughly 5 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to over 40 per 100,000 in recent years, according to data from the Insight Crime database. This escalation is tied to the country’s role as a transit hub for cocaine moving from Colombia and Peru toward North American and European markets.

The Logistics of Gang Warfare in Guayaquil

The dumping of bodies in canals serves a dual purpose: the disposal of evidence and psychological warfare. Criminal organizations, including those linked to Mexican cartels, use these sites to signal dominance over specific neighborhoods. Local residents report that the presence of bodies in these waterways has become a common occurrence, often discovered by neighbors or passersby rather than police patrols.

The violence is largely driven by a struggle for control over the ports of Guayaquil and Manta. These ports are essential for the “export” of narcotics. When gangs fight over these corridors, the casualties are often left in the outskirts of the city to avoid immediate detection by authorities while still ensuring the “message” reaches the intended criminal rivals.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the proliferation of high-caliber weaponry in Ecuador has shifted the nature of the violence from localized street crime to paramilitary-style executions. This shift is evident in the types of injuries found on victims recovered from the canals, which often include multiple gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

State of Emergency and Military Intervention

President Daniel Noboa declared an internal armed conflict in January 2024 after a series of coordinated attacks and the storming of a national television station. This decree allowed the military to deploy alongside the National Police to combat “terrorist” groups. Under this mandate, the government has conducted raids in prisons and high-crime sectors of Guayaquil to dismantle the leadership of gangs like Los Choneros and Los Lobos.

Despite these measures, the “Canal da Morte” continues to accumulate victims. Human rights organizations have raised concerns that the state of emergency has led to an increase in extrajudicial killings and that the military’s presence has not yet translated into a reduction of the “dumping” culture in the coastal provinces.

The Ecuadorian government has focused its strategy on “cleaning” the prisons, which were previously the command centers for the gang wars. By isolating gang leaders, the administration aims to break the chain of command that coordinates the executions and subsequent disposal of bodies in the city’s canals.

Impact on Urban Infrastructure and Public Health

The accumulation of corpses in open-air drainage systems creates a secondary crisis of public health. In Guayaquil, the lack of proper sewage and drainage infrastructure means that these canals are already prone to flooding. The decomposition of bodies in these waterways poses risks of water contamination and the spread of disease in densely populated slums.

Local community leaders in Guayaquil describe a state of “normalized horror,” where the sight of a body in a canal no longer triggers widespread shock but rather a cautious avoidance. This normalization complicates police investigations, as witnesses are often too intimidated by the gangs to report discoveries immediately.

The economic impact is also significant. The insecurity in the port areas has led to increased insurance premiums for shipping companies and a decrease in foreign investment in the Guayas province. Businesses in the vicinity of these “death zones” have reported a sharp decline in foot traffic and a rise in “vacunas” (extortion payments) demanded by gangs to ensure the safety of their employees.

Comparison of Violence Trends in Ecuador

The evolution of violence in Ecuador can be seen in the shift from targeted assassinations to the systemic “dumping” seen in the Canal da Morte. The following table outlines the transition of the security landscape based on available reporting:

The Role of International Cartels

The violence in Guayaquil is not an isolated domestic issue. Intelligence reports suggest that Mexican cartels, specifically the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), have outsourced their logistics to local Ecuadorian gangs. This relationship provides the local gangs with funding and weaponry in exchange for secure passage of cocaine through Ecuadorian ports.

This “franchising” of crime has intensified the brutality of the conflict. Local gangs now employ tactics learned from the cartels, including the use of “sicarios” (hitmen) who are trained to leave bodies in highly visible areas—such as the canals—to terrorize the population and signal a lack of fear toward the Ecuadorian state.

The United States government has provided some assistance in intelligence sharing and training for the Ecuadorian police, but the scale of the narco-trafficking infrastructure in Guayaquil continues to outpace the state’s capacity to secure the perimeter of the city.

The next critical checkpoint for the region will be the upcoming review of the state of emergency mandates by the Ecuadorian National Assembly, where the government must justify the continued use of military force in urban centers to curb the homicide rate and eliminate the “Canal da Morte” phenomenon.

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