In December 2023, 80-year-old British businessman and former consul Colin Armstrong was kidnapped from his ranch outside Guayaquil, Ecuador. For decades, he had lived and worked peacefully in the country. But today Ecuador has become a narco-state, where powerful gangs rule the streets and kidnapping for ransom has become a booming trade.
Dragged from his home in the middle of the night, Colin was stripped, bound, and thrown into a concrete cell. The gang demanded a $5 million ransom, warning that mutilation — fingers, ears — would follow if their demands weren’t met. His partner Katherine was forced into a fake explosive vest and told to deliver a phone in Guayaquil, her life hanging on whether she dared to cut the red wire.
For the kidnappers, Colin was nothing more than a bargaining chip in a ruthless cash-for-hostage game. For Colin, it was a Close Call that brought him face to face with the darkest side of a country overrun by drug cartels and violent gangs.
Times News
Inside Ecuador’s Narco Violence: The Kidnapping of Colin Armstrong
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In December 2023, 80-year-old British businessman and former consul Colin Armstrong was kidnapped from his ranch outside Guayaquil, Ecuador. For decades, he had lived and worked peacefully in the country. But today Ecuador has become a narco-state, where powerful gangs rule the streets and kidnapping for ransom has become a booming trade.
Dragged from his home in the middle of the night, Colin was stripped, bound, and thrown into a concrete cell. The gang demanded a $5 million ransom, warning that mutilation — fingers, ears — would follow if their demands weren’t met. His partner Katherine was forced into a fake explosive vest and told to deliver a phone in Guayaquil, her life hanging on whether she dared to cut the red wire.
For the kidnappers, Colin was nothing more than a bargaining chip in a ruthless cash-for-hostage game. For Colin, it was a Close Call that brought him face to face with the darkest side of a country overrun by drug cartels and violent gangs.
1 week ago | [YT] | 48