FIVE severed human heads have been found on a popular tourist beach in Ecuador.
Police discovered the heads hanging from ropes fixed to wooden poles in the latest horror display of gang violence gripping the country.
The decapitated heads were found on a beach in Puerto Lopez, in the southwest of Ecuador.
Cops said the grim act was likely carried out by a criminal group who operate in the region as a direct threat to a rival gang.
Drug-trafficking networks often use local fishermen and their small boats to help transport drugs, according to authorities.
Images showed the heads were placed next to a warning sign directed at the alleged blackmailers of the fishermen, police believe.
Fighting among drug trafficking gangs has dramatically worsened in recent months as they feud over territory and control of the Manabi province.
A state of emergency is already in force across nine of the Ecuador’s 24 provinces, including Manabi.
Police have ramped up control and surveillance operations in Puerto Lopez after the severed heads were found.
