A brother of Ecuador’s most notorious drug lord was killed Sunday by gunmen who disguised themselves as police.
Police said David Macías, 35, was a regional leader of Los Choneros, the powerful criminal gang led until recently by his brother Adolfo.
Adolfo Macías, also known as “Fito,” is awaiting trial in the United States after his extradition from Ecuador last year.
Los Choneros has been declared a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and is accused of being one of the criminal groups behind Ecuador’s skyrocketing murder rate.
Authorities said David Macías was killed early Sunday local time.
Witnesses said men dressed as police entered the house Macías had rented in an upscale neighborhood in the town of Olón, on Ecuador’s Pacific coast.
The gunmen fled after the attack and so far no arrests have been made in connection with the case.
It is not uncommon for gang leaders to be targeted either by members of rival criminal organizations or even by members of their own group as part of internal struggles for control.
Last month, local gang leader shot dead by two armed teenagers while leaving Guayaquil international airport.
During this attack, the armed men hid their weapons behind stuffed animals and a bouquet of flowers so as not to arouse suspicion.
Police said David Macías pleaded guilty in 2018 to criminal conspiracy charges.
During his time behind bars, he allegedly recruited inmates for Los Choneros and managed to bring the prison he was in firmly under his gang’s control.
His killing is the latest blow to Los Choneros following the arrest last year of Adolfo Macías and that of another brother, Javier, last month in neighboring Colombia.
