In brief
The brother of Ecuador's toughest drug trafficker was killed by armed men who disguised themselves as police in an upscale coastal neighbourhood. The victim, David Macías, was a leading figure in Los Choneros, a criminal group declared a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Authorities say the attack left the perpetrators free, with no arrests. The killing comes after the extradition of the gang's boss, Adolfo Macías, and the capture of another brother in Colombia. Officials warn that gang leaders regularly face lethal threats from rivals or internal power struggles.
A vengeful ambush turned a discreet home into a death scene when gunmen who appeared as uniformed officers entered the rented apartment of David Macías, 35, in the town of Olón on Ecuador’s Pacific coast.
Law‑enforcement reports that David was a key regional leader of Los Choneros, a powerful criminal gang that had been led by his brother, Adolfo Macías – the man widely known as “Fito” and now awaiting trial in the United States after being extradited from Ecuador last year.
Los Choneros has been declared a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government and is blamed for a spike in murders that Ecuador has seen in recent years.
Witnesses check that the attackers, wearing police helmets and balaclavas, swiftly shot David in the early hours of Sunday. They fled the scene and, to date, police have not detained anyone in connection with the killing.
The murder fits a pattern in which gang leaders can be targeted by rival groups or even their own affiliates amid internal power fights. Recent months have witnessed other dramatic attacks, such as a teenage gunman killing a gang leader on a Guayaquil airport road, and the capture of Adolfo’s other brother, Javier, in Colombia.
David’s death signals a continuing assault on Los Choneros’ leadership after the arrest of its chief and his brother’s capture, indicating ongoing turmoil inside the drug cartel’s ranks.
