DOJ Says Ecuadorian Drug Trafficking Leader Helped Illegally Export Guns
The U.S. this week unsealed an indictment charging José Adolfo Macías Villamar, leader of the Ecuadorian drug trafficking group Los Choneros, with smuggling firearms from the U.S. along with other drug and weapons-related charges. DOJ said Macías Villamar helped Los Choneros obtain firearms and weapons by illegally trafficking and exporting them from the U.S., including by hiring people to buy guns in the U.S. and smuggle them to Ecuador.
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The case was investigated by the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement, along with other law enforcement agencies. OEE “will continue its efforts alongside its law enforcement partners to pursue those who violate export laws, wherever they may be, worldwide,” said Jonathan Carson, special agent in charge of the agency's New York field office.
DOJ said Macías Villamar isn’t in U.S. custody. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.