NEW YORK (AP) — The fugitive leader of a violent Ecuadorian gang that relied on hitmen, bribes and military weapons to do business has been indicted in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States, authorities said Wednesday.
José Adolfo Macías Villamar escaped from a prison in Ecuador last year and is not in U.S. custody. He led Los Choneros and its “network of assassins and drug and weapon traffickers” since at least 2020, U.S. Attorney John Durham said in a news release.
“The defendant was a ruthless leader and prolific drug trafficker for a violent transnational criminal organization,” Durham said…