Arrests after 12 shot dead at Ecuador cockfight

Police in Ecuador say they have arrested four people in connection with an attack by gunmen at a cockfighting ring in which 12 people died.

Weapons and replica police and army uniforms were seized during police raids in the north-western Manabí province on Friday – a day after the attack in the rural community of La Valencia.

Footage of the attack shared on social media showed gunmen entering the ring and opening fire, as terrified spectators dived for cover.

Reports in local media suggested the attackers in fake military gear were members of a criminal gang whose rivals were at the cockfight.

A criminal investigation has been launched by the provincial authorities.

As many as 20 criminal gangs are believed to be operating in the Latin American country, vying for control over major drug routes.

Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa has said that about 70% of the world’s cocaine now flows through Ecuador’s ports before being shipped to the US and Europe.

The drug is smuggled into Ecuador from neighbouring Colombia and Peru – the world’s two largest producers of cocaine.

This January saw 781 murders, making it the deadliest month in recent years. Many of them were related to the illegal drug trade.