'Plata o plomo' for fishermen in Salinas

Primicias has a story about how fishermen in the Salinas region are forced to work for drug gangs. This article gives a good insight into what's going on in the ports and beaches of this region.

• Salinas and its surrounding areas are key points for sending cocaine to the USA and Europe.

• Unlike in Guayaquil, small fishing boats are used to transport drugs here.

• The gangs operate by the "plata o plomo" principle: fishermen are asked to transport cocaine in exchange for money (plata), and if they refuse, they may get killed (plomo means "lead" in English and stands for the lead of bullets).

• The following gangs operate in the Salinas region: Los Choneros, Los Lagartos, Los Tiguerones, Los Chone Killers, and Los Lobos.

• Fishermen rarely meet the top leaders of the drug operations; they usually only deal with middlemen.

• Fishermen earn around USD 10,000 per shipment, typically receiving USD 5,000 before a shipment and USD 5,000 after. However, they do not always receive the latter amount.

• Fishermen run the risk of getting involved in confrontations between competing gangs at sea and also risk being extorted by rival gangs.