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A brother of Ecuador’s most notorious drug lord was killed on Sunday by gunmen who had disguised themselves as police officers. <\/b><\/p>\n
Police said David Mac\u00edas, 35, was a regional leader in Los Choneros, the powerful criminal gang which was until recently headed by his brother, Adolfo.<\/p>\n
Adolfo Mac\u00edas, also known by the alias “Fito”, is awaiting trial in the United States following his extradition from Ecuador last year.<\/p>\n
Los Choneros has been declared a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the US and is accused of being one of the crime groups behind Ecuador’s skyrocketing murder rate.<\/p>\n
Officials said David Mac\u00edas was killed in the early hours of Sunday local time.<\/p>\n
Witnesses said men dressed like police officers entered the home Mac\u00edas had rented in an upscale neighbourhood in the town of Ol\u00f3n, on Ecuador’s Pacific coast. <\/p>\n
The gunmen fled after the attack and so far there have been no arrests in connection with the case. <\/p>\n
It is not unusual for gang leaders to be targeted either by members of rival criminal organisations or even by members of their own group as part of internal battles for control. <\/p>\n