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Footballer's wife and son set free by Narcos gang after kidnapping while he hid under bed

The wife and five-year-old son of a footballer have been freed after armed Narcos gang members kidnapped them while he hid under a bed in his home

[Emelec star Jackson Rodriguez]

Jackson Rodriguez's wife and son were kidnapped(Image: Getty Images)

The wife and five-year-old son of a footballer have been freed after they were kidnapped by armed gang members.

C.S. Emelec defender Jackson Rodriguezs family were taken in the early hours of Wednesday morning (April 23) at around 2:50am in the city of Guayaquil, local police chief Edison Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez reportedly hid under the bed when he heard his front door smashed in by a large sledgehammer. He told police he saw the kidnappers leaving the scene in a grey-coloured double-cab pickup truck.

But now, Rodrguezs wife and son have been released by the National Police and the Anti-Kidnapping and Extortion Unit (UNASE) on Thursday night (April 24) after being held captive for more than 24 hours.

According to General Pablo Dvila, head of Zone 8, the woman and the minor were found during a raid on the Horizontes del Fortn cooperative, in northwest Guayaquil, at 7pm on Thursday, April 24.

[Ecuadorian footballer Jackson Rodriguez]

Rodriguez plays for C.S. Emelec in Ecuador(Image: AP)

"They initially demanded $500,000 for their release; however, they later lowered the amount to half, or $250,000," he said.

The officer also stressed that the investigations continue to find the perpetrators of the kidnapping that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, April 23 in the Mucho Lote 2 sector, north of the port city.

However, he detailed that they would belong to Los Tiguerones, a criminal organisation that also carried out the attack on a television channel in January 2024.

"After the effective investigative and operational work of the Ecuadorian Police, we freed Andrexy O. and his son, relatives of Jackson Rodrguez, in El Fortn #Guayaquil, who were kidnapped in Mucho Lote and whose perpetrators demanded a large sum of money for their release."

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Los Tiguerones are an Ecuadorian crime syndicate known for drug trafficking, assassinations, human trafficking and money laundering, among other criminal activities.

It isnt the first time that the neighbourhood of Mucho Lote 2 has witnessed a horrifying incident. On January 6, a violent kidnapping saw a shop owner taken by armed men. As per the Mirror, its alleged he paid $10,000 for his release, despite the kidnappers initially demanding $50,000.

Last December, Liga de Quito footballer Pedro Perlaza was abducted and rescued by police a few days later.

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