THOUSANDS of soldiers and police officers raided the prison holding one of Ecuador’s most powerful gang leaders and seized weapons, ammunition and explosives on Saturday.

Los Choneros leader Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito,” has since been moved out of the prison to a maximum-security site, three days after the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio – who had received threats from the criminal.

The candidate, who was not a frontrunner, was assassinated during a campaign rally in the capital Quito and was known for speaking up against drug cartels.