Rain fills rivers and reservoirs and more is in the forecast; ‘Sweet dream’ ladies drug and rob lonely men; Severed heads displayed in Puerto Lopez

Cuenca’s four rivers are running full again, thanks to four days of rain. According to ETAPA meteorologist Rigoberto Guerrero, the city has officially received 38 millimeters (1.5 inches) of rain since Thursday and more is on the way. “If the prediction is correct, I believe the dry season is over,” he said, although he encouraged residents to continue to conserve water as a precaution.

The rain is also good news for the reservoir at the Mazar hydroelectric complex, Ecuador’s largest, in eastern Azuay province. “Cuenca’s rivers empty into the Rio Paute which feeds the reservoir so recent rains should reverse the drop in the water level there,” he said.

Cuenca’s Rio Tomebamba was running full Monday morning following weekend rain. (El Mercurio)

Engineers at Mazar confirmed that the inflow of water into the reservoir increased over the weekend.

‘Sweet dream’ ladies drug and rob lonely men
Police are investigating at least six cases in which men were drugged and robbed by a gang of women. Called the “sweet dreams crimes,” police say the women meet men looking for company, then drug their drinks and rob them of their belongings. Many of the meetings are arranged through internet dating apps, investigators say.

Gang members also meet men at bars in the historic district, police say. In a case Sunday night, two women met a man on Calle Larga and accompanied him to an apartment in Edificio Pacífico on Presidente Borrero. After drugging him, the women stole several hundred dollars, a cell phone and other personal items.

According to police, two of the victims were visitors from Guayaquil while another was a North American. They advise single men not to accept drinks from strangers, especially strange women. Otherwise, it could be “sweet dreams.”

Investigators have not yet determined the drug used to render the men unconscious but believe an excessive amount of it could be deadly.

Severed heads displayed on Puerto Lopez beach
Five severed human heads were found hanging from ropes on a beach in Puerto Lopez Sunday in a gruesome display linked to ongoing gang violence in Ecuador’s coastal region.

The images shared on social media showed the severed heads tied with ropes to wooden poles planted in the sand, with blood visible at the scene.

A wooden sign left beside the heads carried a threatening message aimed at alleged extortionists who are targeting local fishermen. The message warned that those demanding so-called “vaccine” protection payments would meet the same fate as the decapitated men.

In the once popular tourist town, many fishermen report being forced by criminal gangs to transport cocaine along the country’s Pacific coast. According to crime monitoring service InSight Crime, almost half of Puerto Lopez’s fishermen are participating in transporting drugs, many of them by extortion.