Brutal tactics of Ecuador's gangs who send decapitated enemies' heads to their wives and their hearts to their parents - as it's declared the toughest place on earth to be a cop

 Latin America has for decades been synonymous with the drug trade thanks to ruthless cartels and criminal gangs whose power and brutality cannot by tamed by the government or the armed forces.

Some countries like Ecuador had managed to remain relatively peaceful for decades, despite bordering the notorious cocaine hotspots of Colombia and Peru.

But the coastal nation has seen murder rates soar in recent years as drug lords and criminal masterminds dug their hooks into fresh territory and exploited its ports for maximum profit. 

rate was 29 per 100,000 people with Colombia trailing close behind at 26.8. Ecuador sat at a comparatively minuscule 7.7.

Three years on, Ecuador's murder rate had shot up to a horrifying 44.5 per 100,000 people - far outstripping both Mexico and Colombia to become the murder capital of Latin America.

Gangland shootouts now commonly rock the streets - particularly in the bustling port of Guayaquil and Esmeraldas, where the crime rate and incidences of violence have skyrocketed.

Just last month, 22 people were killed in a bitter gun battle in Guayaquil's northern neighbourhood of Nueva Prosperina as members of the infamous Los Tiguerones syndicate carried out a hit on a rival group.

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa, who this weekend won re-election, has vowed to crack down on the criminal gangs tearing the nation apart.