Los Chone Killers

Last updated
Los Chone Killers
Founded2020
Territory Durán, Ecuador
Membership Nueva Generación
Leader(s)Antonio Benjamin Camacho "Ben 10", Terry Israel Camacho "Trompudo"
Activities Narcotrafficking, assassinations, extortion, human trafficking, money laundering, murder, assault, arms trafficking, kidnapping
Allies Los Tiguerones, Los Lobos, Jalisco New Generation Cartel
Rivals Los Choneros, Latin Kings, Los Lagartos (on occasion)

Los Chone Killers, or Chone Killers, are an Ecuadorian criminal and terrorist organization [1] known for their drug trafficking activities, assassinations, and other crimes. The group split from Los Choneros in 2020, along with Los Lobos and Los Tiguerones following the murder of Los Choneros leader Jorge Luis Zambrano. [2] The group mainly operates in Guayas Province, in particular the city of Durán. [2]

History

Los Chone Killers are derived from the Puerto Rican drug trafficking gang Ñetas after the latter's international expansion. [2] When Los Choneros leader Zambrano was killed in 2020, Los Chone Killers and several other gangs split off due to disagreements with the leadership of José Adolfo Macías Villamar. [3] Clashes and massacres in prisons across Ecuador broke out in the wake of the split. [3] When Los Chone Killers emerged, they were unpopular in Duran. [4]

In 2021, Los Chone Killers, along with other gangs formerly allied to Los Choneros, including Los Pipos, Los Lobos, and Tiguerones, announced the creation of an alliance dubbed Nueva Generación after an alliance with Jalisco New Generation Cartel. [5]

In May 2021, judge Johan Briones ordered the dismissal of Antonio Benjamin Camacho, alias "Ben 10", one of the leaders of Los Chone Killers, due to a lack of evidence implicating Ben 10 in the murder of eight people. [2] That November, Camacho's brother Terry Israel Camacho, alias "Trompudo", was released from Turi prison. [6] Los Chone Killers and Tiguerones killed sixty-eight inmates in November 2021 at a prison riot in Litoral Penitentiary. [7]

Los Chone Killers gained international notoriety following the murder of Leandro Norero, alias "El Jefe", the financier of the gang. The Ecuadorian government warned of reprisal attacks by Los Chone Killers in Litoral Penitentiary, and decided to transfer Los Chone Killers prisoners to other prisons to prevent clashes. [8] Instead, clashes broke out against prison guards and Ecuadorian police by Los Chone Killers across Ecuador. [8]

Since 2023, Los Chone Killers have been in a territorial dispute with Latin Kings in Duran. [9]

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References

  1. ↑ "Seguridad: estas son las ocho bandas de crimen organizado declaradas terroristas". expreso.ec. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "¿Quiénes son Los Chone Killers? Te explicamos". GK (in Spanish). 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  3. 1 2 Medina, Fernando (February 23, 2021). "Los Pipos, Los Lobos, Los Chone Killers y Los Tiguerones desencadenaron los ataques que terminaron con la vida de 62 presos, segun autoridades". El Comercio. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  4. ↑ "JEFE DE LA POLÍCIA ASEGURA QUE CADA CUATRO O CINCO CUADRAS SE CONSIGUE DROGA EN DURÁN". Radio Atalaya 680 AM. (in Spanish). 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  5. ↑ "Choneros". InSight Crime. 2021-10-04. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  6. ↑ "Líder de Chone Killer salió de la cárcel; es tercer cabecilla liberado en dos meses". vistazo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  7. ↑ Solano, Allen Panchana And Gonzalo (2021-11-14). "Signs abounded that deadly Ecuador prison attack was coming". CP24. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  8. 1 2 "Chone Killers desataron el caos dentro y fuera de las cárceles". Primicias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  9. ↑ "Así los Chone Killer estarían 'cazando' a los Latin Kings" (in Spanish). 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
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