Local media reports said the attackers were armed with automatic rifles, and bullet holes were visible on the pool tables.

Police in Ecuador say nine people shot dead by gunmen in a pool hall on Saturday were "collateral victims" and not the intended targets of a premeditated attack. Preliminary investigations suggest the gunmen were chasing two men on a motorcycle in the town of Playas on Saturday.

Ecuadorean drug trafficking gang leader José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias “Fito” was extradited late Sunday to the United States. The head of the “Los Choneros” organization was considered one of the country's most notorious criminals,

A trend of Ecuadorian criminal leaders turning up in neighboring Colombia underscores the country's role as both a refuge and a graveyard.

President Noboa was elected to fight spiraling gang violence, but serious abuses are being reported under his crackdown.