[2] Los Chone Killers are derived from the Puerto Rican drug trafficking gang Ñetas after the latter's international expansion.
[5] 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.
[6] Instead, clashes broke out against prison guards and Ecuadorian police by Los Chone Killers across Ecuador.
[6] In May 2024, Panamanian authorities managed to capture Julio Alberto Martínez Alcívar, alias "Negro Tulio", a high-value target and ringleader of the Chone Killers criminal group, wanted in Ecuador for terrorism and identified as the alleged mastermind of the murder.