The family of the Ecuadorian soccer player Jackson Rodríguez was rescued after being kidnapped from his home in the coastal city of Guayaquil, police authorities reported on Friday.
Rodríguez, 26, hid under his bed while his 24 -year -old wife and five -year -old son were homework On Wednesday by four “people with hood and heavy armed” who made their way in the house in the neighborhood of a lot of lot.
The wife and son received medical attention after their release and were safe, police commander Pablo Dávila said.
The kidnappers demanded $ 500,000 for the launch of the wife and son, but the family refused to pay, Dávila added. Rodríguez is a left back that plays for the Emelec First Division Club.
After police operations on Thursday night, the officers located the couple in the popular neighborhood of “El Fortín” in the northwest of the city. The area is considered one of the most dangerous, a place where 22 people were massacred In March.
Gustavo Garello/AP 
Guayaquil is 170 miles southwest of the capital, Quito.
The kidnapping occurred in the middle of an emergency state declared 10 days ago to the Government in nine areas of the country, including the province of Guayas, to which Guayaquil belongs. The measure allows the mobilization of security forces in these territories to combat the operations of organized crimes groups, which the authorities blame for the wave of violence.
Ecuador is home to around 20 criminal gangs, with striking names such as “The Freddy Kruegers” and “The Peaky Blinders” – involved in trafficking, kidnapping and extortion.
Insecurity and crime have affected Ecuador for four years, with an increase in the first months of the year, according to the government. From January to March, 2,345 violent deaths were reported, 742 of them in Guayaquil.
The port city is considered one of the most dangerous areas of the country. From these ports, shipments of illegal drugs to Europe, Central America and the United States, cordination to the authorities are sent.
Other athletes have attacked in the past. In December, the football player Pedro Perlaza, who played for the Quito League, was kidnapped in Esmeraldas, a city located about 115 miles northwest or Quito. Hey was Rescued alive A few days later.
President Daniel NnoveraWho was re -elected for a second term in the elections earlier this month, suggested that the special forces of the United States should be deployed in Ecuador to address drug violence and floated legal reforms to allow US bases to operate in the country.
At least two leaders of high profile Ecuadorian gangs attacked by the United States have reached the headlines this year. Earlier this month, the fugitive leader of “Los Cherones” that depended on the Seros, bribes and military weapons to do business was Accused in New York City By charges, it imported thousands of pounds from cocaine to the United States. José Adolfo Macías Villamar, whose nickname is “Fito”, escaped from a prison in Ecuador last year and is not in custody of the United States.
In 2024, the United States Treasury imposed sanctions on “Los Choneros”.
Earlier this year, a leader of one of the largest crimes unions in Ecuador, the wolves, was Arrested at home In the coastal city of Portoviejo. Carlos D, widely known for his alias El Chino, was the second in command of the wolves and “considered a target of high value,” the armed forces said in a statement.
He United States last year declared Lobos Be the Larst drug trafficking organization in Ecuador.
