What was once an area of commerce, business and entertainment for local tourists has now become a hotspot for drug gangs.
La Playita del Guasmo, a spa located in the extreme south of Guayaquil, was intervened 18 years ago by the Municipality for its integral regeneration.
This piece of beach that is in a branch of the estuary, very close to the Maritime Port, was projected as a tourist attraction for the area. But in recent years it has been losing its shine and the few strangers who enter do so with suspicion.
In recent months it has been the scene of several crimes, including three multiple murders that have caused alarm among the inhabitants of the area.
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Although the sector was already intervened by police and military two weeks ago, the shootings continue to occur. On the night of February 11, four young men died and a fifth was seriously injured. Hours later, a man was arrested as a suspect in the armed attack and, after the hearing, he was transferred to the Penitentiary.
Those who live in Guasmo say that he is part of the gang of aliases Ojon, but they are not the only names that are mentioned, there is also talk of Los Rusos and Los Lagartos, gangs that have disputes in the area.
This last gang was the one that for years, according to versions of residents, controlled that area and whose members were attacked on a court near La Playita on the night of Friday, January 21. That day there were five dead and nine wounded, but two days before another attack took place near there and there were three more murders.
The Police presume that those two attacks in January occurred between Los Rusos and Los Lagartos.
So far this year in the Guasmo sector (South district) there have been at least 30 violent deaths. In Zone 8 (Guayaquil, Durán and Samborondón) there were 162 cases until February 16, while at the national level there are already more than 460 murders.
Why are they fighting for the area?
They are fighting for access to the estuary’s branches, since this area is about two kilometers from the seaport and allows them to access a sector called Cuarentena, where ships leaving for Europe and Central America are contaminated.
A few years ago this area was controlled by the Los Lagartos gang, but now other organizations want to take over this sector, according to versions.
The closest point to the port is precisely La Playita, which includes sports fields, spas, parks, boardwalk, among other works. It has an approximate area of 7,500 square meters.
The Playita del Guasmo has been closed to the public since last December, when the state of emergency was decreed. Before, it was open from Thursday to Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and concerts and presentations were even held in that space.
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Inside the private beach there are at least 10 kiosks, where food was sold, but since the pandemic began they have not served the public, the neighbors explain.
Surrounding neighbors have also been affected by the closure of the resort. There are those who fish and sell what they catch next to the beach, those who sell fruits and juices, corviches and fried fish, and even those who had a couple of restaurants.
Everyone agrees that no one comes to the area anymore for fear that a shootout could break out at any time. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
