Fugitive leader of notorious Ecuador drug gang is indicted in U.S.

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. "Los Choneros operated a vast network responsible for the shipment and distribution of multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America through Central America and Mexico to the United States and elsewhere," the indictment says. Noboa declared a state of emergency and deployed troops in the streets and violence-riddled prisons, resulting in a slight dip in homicide rates in 2024 from the previous year.