A notorious Ecuadorian gang leader vanishes from prison and authorities investigate if he escaped

By GONZALO SOLANO
Associated Press

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A convicted leader of one of the most powerful drug gangs in Ecuador has vanished from the prison where he was serving his sentence. Authorities are investigating whether he escaped like he did a decade ago from another facility. Ecuadorian authorities reported Sunday that Los Choneros gang leader Adolfo Macías wasn’t in his cell and by Monday they hadn’t found him or explained what had happened. Police general commander César Zapata told the media Sunday night that Macías had disappeared from his cell and that they were investigating. Ecuador’s prosecutors office tweeted Sunday that it was investigating the case as a probable “prisoner’s escape.”