A brother of Ecuador’s most notorious drug lord was killed on Sunday by gunmen who had disguised themselves as police officers.

Police said David Macías, 35, was a regional leader in Los Choneros, the powerful criminal gang which was until recently headed by his brother, Adolfo.

Adolfo Macías, also known by the alias “Fito”, is awaiting trial in the United States following his extradition from Ecuador last year.

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.

Officials said David Macías was killed in the early hours of Sunday local time.

Witnesses said men dressed like police officers entered the home Macías had rented in an upscale neighbourhood in the town of Olón, on Ecuador’s Pacific coast.

The gunmen fled after the attack and so far there have been no arrests in connection with the case.

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.

Last month, a local gang leader was shot dead by two teenage gunmen as he was leaving the international airport in Guayaquil.

In that attack, the gunmen had hidden their weapons behind stuffed toys and a bouquet of flowers in order not to arouse suspicion.

Police said David Macías had pleaded guilty in 2018 to charges of criminal conspiracy.

During his time behind bars, he reportedly recruited inmates for Los Choneros and managed to place the prison he was in firmly under the control of his gang.

His killing is the latest blow to Los Choneros after the arrest last year of Adolfo Macías, and that of another brother, Javier, last month in neighbouring Colombia.