Ecuador is under a state of emergency, introduced by President Daniel Noboa to curb a wave of murders and violent crimes by drug gangs.
The bodies of Garcia and communications director Jairo Lure were found in the SUV Sunday morning in the office where he was based. Police confirmed that shots were fired from inside a rented vehicle. Personal belongings were found on the victims, hence robbery motive was ruled out, Primisias Portal reported.
“No one is safe in Ecuador”
García belongs to the leftist Revolutionary Citizens (RC) party of former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa. In the context of his death, the media recalls the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in August of last year and several assassinations of other politicians.
“I have no words, (I'm) in shock, nobody is safe in Ecuador. Nobody,” former RC presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez wrote in X about Garcia's murder.
Until recently, Ecuador was considered an oasis of peace, but in recent years, due to a sharp increase in the number of murders, it has become one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America. It borders Colombia and Peru, two of the world's largest cocaine producers, and is considered one of the drug's main hubs for the United States and Europe.
In early January, President Noboa declared a state of emergency in the country and sent the army to fight drug cartels, which he described as terrorist organizations. Officials say violent crime has dropped since then.
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