A brother of Ecuador’s most famous drug trafficker was murdered on Sunday by gunmen who had disguised themselves as police officers.

Police said David Macias, 35, was a regional leader of Los Choneros, the powerful criminal gang that until recently was headed by his brother, Adolfo.

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

The Choneros have been declared a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States and are accused of being one of the criminal groups behind Ecuador’s skyrocketing homicide rate.

Authorities said David Macias was killed in the early hours of Sunday local time.

Witnesses said men dressed as police officers entered the house Macías had rented in an exclusive neighborhood of the city 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 attacked by members of rival criminal organizations 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 left Guayaquil’s international airport.

In that attack, the gunmen had hidden their weapons behind stuffed animals and a bouquet of flowers so as not to arouse suspicion.

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

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

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