Ecuador: Drug Lord's Brother Assassinated by Impostors Posing as Police

Gunmen impersonating police officers have fatally shot David Macías, the 35-year-old brother of notorious Ecuadorian drug lord Adolfo “Fito” Macías. The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday in Olón, a town situated on Ecuador’s Pacific coast.

Witnesses reported that the assailants, dressed as law enforcement personnel, entered the residence Macías was occupying. Following the attack, the perpetrators fled the scene, and authorities have yet to make any arrests.

David Macías was identified by police as a regional commander within the Los Choneros cartel, a powerful criminal organization previously led by his brother, “Fito” Macías. The gang has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States and is implicated in Ecuador’s escalating homicide rates.

This assassination marks the latest setback for Los Choneros. Adolfo Macías himself was extradited to the U.S. last year, and another brother, Javier Macías, was apprehended in Colombia last month.

In previous legal dealings, David Macías pleaded guilty in 2018 to charges of criminal conspiracy. While incarcerated, he was reportedly involved in recruiting for Los Choneros and exerted significant control over the prison where he was held.

Targeting of gang leaders by rivals or internal factions is not uncommon in Ecuador’s volatile underworld. This incident underscores the ongoing violence and power struggles within prominent criminal syndicates operating in the region.

Source: Nile Post