He is said to have relied on bribery, military weapons and hitmen to import large quantities of cocaine into the United States.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) claimed on April 2 that the leaders of a large Ecuadorian gang relied on hitmen, also known as Sicarios, to rely on bribery, military weapons and human-man to import cocaine into the United States.
The US District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued an indictment against Josea d’Olformasis Villamar on April 2nd.
“These Sicarios regularly used military-grade weapons such as machine guns, AK 47S and hand rena bullets to promote the organization’s goals by committing violence, including murder, torture and trickery.
The 11-page indictment includes counting international cocaine distribution, the use of firearms to promote drug trafficking, and contraband from the United States.
The indictment alleges that between 2020 and 2025, 45-year-old Macias Villamar, also known as Fito, was the leading leader of one of Ecuador’s most violent gangsters, Los Coneros.
Macias Villamar was considered a fugitive after fleeing Guayaquil in Ecuador last year, where he was sentenced to 34 years in prison for drug trafficking. He is not in custody in the United States, prosecutors said.
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For example, while in jail in 2023, Macias Villamar is known for throwing parties with alcohol and cocks used in gunfights, and reportedly recorded a video addressed to “Ecuadorian people” surrounded by men carrying guns.
Macias Villamar then disappeared from prison in January 2024, and last year the US linked Los Ceneros to a Mexican drug cartel that threatened Ecuador and the surrounding South American region. The statement further states that Ecuadorian authorities classify gangs as terrorist organizations.
The reward for the capture of Macías Villamar has recently been increased to $1 million by the Ecuadorian government.
Prosecutors allegedly directed members of Los Coneros to commit violent acts against law enforcement, Ecuadorian politicians, lawyers, prosecutors and civilians, illegally trafficking firearms and weapons, and exporting them from the United States.
“The defendant was a ruthless leader and prolific drug trafficker for violent cross-border criminal organizations,” Durham said in a statement. “By leading a network of assassins and drug and weapons traffickers in Los Coneros, importing potentially deadly amounts of cocaine into the United States, the defendants have caused great harm to their country and the United States.
If convicted, the statement cites the punishment as a mandatory minimum sentence for 10 years in prison and living in prison.
When asked about Macías Villamar’s legal representation, John Marzulli, a spokesman for Breon Peace, a US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, told NTD:
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
