Ecuador’s Most Wanted Fugitive Gang Leader Captured

Jose Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito,” the leader of Ecuador‘s Los Choneros gang, has been recaptured after nearly 18 months on the run.

According to President Daniel Noboa, Macias will be extradited to the US, where he faces charges related to drug trafficking and firearms smuggling. Macias escaped from Guayaquil prison in January 2024, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking and murder.

The successful capture of Macias marks a significant victory for Ecuador in its fight against organized crime. President Noboa expressed his recognition to the police and military who participated in the operation, stating, “My recognition to our police and military who participated in this operation.

More will fall, we will reclaim the country. No truce.” The Ecuadorian government had offered a $1 million reward for information leading to Macias’s capture and dispatched thousands of police officers and members of the armed forces to find him.

Macias’s escape triggered widespread riots, bombings, kidnappings, and the assassination of a prominent prosecutor, leading Noboa to declare a 60-day state of emergency across Ecuador. The US Department of the Treasury separately sanctioned both Macias and Los Choneros in February 2024 for drug trafficking and instigating violence across Ecuador. If convicted, Macias faces life in prison.

The capture of Macias is seen as a crucial step in addressing the growing violence in Ecuador, which has been fueled by competition between rival local gangs backed by foreign criminal syndicates. Ecuador’s proximity to Peru and Colombia, the world’s top producers of cocaine, has made it a prime target for criminal groups exporting drugs abroad.