Feb. 7 (UPI) — The Biden administration on Wednesday sanctioned an Ecuadoran violent gang and its leader whose escape from prison last month caused violence to erupt across the country forcing President Daniel Noboa to declare a 60-day state of emergency.
José Adolfo Macías Villamar, the 44-year-old leader of the Los Choneros gang, escaped from prison in early January, igniting violence in Ecuadorian prisons and preceded gunmen storming a television studio during a live broadcast and the assassination of the prosecutor investigating the attack.
In response to the violence, Noboa declared the country was in the midst of an “internal armed conflict” and launched a massive law enforcement effort targeting drug gangs and cartels that authorities have described as a fight against terrorism to regain peace in the country.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury blacklisted both the Los Choneros gang and Macías Villamar, who is also known as Fito, as the United States stands in solidarity with Ecuador, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said.
“Drug trafficking gangs such as Los Choneros, many with ties to powerful drug cartels in Mexico, threaten the lives and livelihoods of communities in Ecuador and throughout the region,” Nelson said in a statement.
“We stand in support of Ecuador in its fight to combat drug trafficking, curb the proliferation of prison gangs and prison violence, and take back its streets.”
Los Choneros is considered one of Ecuador’s most violent gangs, and Macías Villamar is a founding member. He was sentenced to 34 years in prison in 2011 for crimes including murder but escaped days before his scheduled move to a maximum-security facility.
The sanctions announced Wednesday block all property under the names of those blacklisted and prohibit U.S. persons from doing business with them.
Ecuador was rocked by gang violence even before Macías Villamar’s escape. Last summer, several politicians were assassinated, including presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
A Colombian national behind the shooting was caught after being shot by police and later died. Several other Colombian nationals were arrested for the assassination, but they were later found dead in their prison cells.
Last month, the U.S. State Department offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of remaining unknown conspirators responsible for the murder and another reward of up to $1 million for information on any member of the gang that was responsible for it.
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