The murder of Dritan Gjika's partner in Ecuador, the identities of the other victims are revealed, among them the guard and Cheres' partner

The identities of the people who died together with Rubén Cheres are revealed. They are: César Amador, a friend of Cherres, Joseline Rivadeneira, Cherres' partner, and guard Juan Ángel P.

The four people were killed in a house in the exclusive resort of Punta Blanca, in Santa Elena province. It happened on the morning of March 31, 2023, when armed men entered the house through the first entrance. Cherres had been renting the house where the crime took place since January 2023 and was there until March. Due to the condition of the bodies, it is assumed that the murder took place about 23 hours before they were found.

The prosecution announced that it had opened preliminary investigations into the multiple murder. 

Who is Ruben Cherres?

Since January 16, 2023, the Police have been trying to locate Rubén Cherres Faggioni, by order of President Guillermo Lasso. His name, along with that of Hernán Luque, came to light after the newspaper La Posta discovered some audios, in which a suspected network of corruption in state-owned companies is revealed.

Rubén Cherres was a close friend of Danilo Carrera, the brother-in-law of President Lasso. In addition, his proximity to organized groups dedicated to drug trafficking was also being investigated, amid the case called León de Troya.

Although Cherres was known as an entrepreneur, his tax records did not reflect prominent activity in this field. Between 2009 and 2023, Cherres did not file income tax returns.

In a 68-page police report that was part of an investigation conducted by the Manta Prosecutor's Office in 2021, but later archived, Cherres was investigated for his ties to the Albanian mafia, more specifically Dritan Gjika. One of the meetings, documented in the report, dates from May 5, 2021, when Cherrez was seen at the then-bankrupt Osaka Fish Company in the city of Manta, on the coast of Ecuador, and which was allegedly used by the Albanian mafia as a cover. for the operations of the criminal organization.

The journalistic portal Plan V also revealed the story of Gjika, who "has been in Ecuador for almost a decade and from Guayaquil has run various businesses, including a banana exporter who is connected to an Albanian importer accused of drug trafficking".