Ecuador's Most Wanted Man 'Fito' is Captured, Leader of Los Choneros

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

Ecuador’s most wanted man and leader of the Los Choneros gang, Jose "Fito" Adolfo Macias, was captured on Wednesday, according to the Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa.

Macias, known as “Fito,” escaped from a prison in Guayaquil in January 2024 while serving a 34-year sentence for homicide and narcotics trafficking.

His escape unleashed a wave of violence in Ecuador, prompting Noboa to declare an internal armed conflict and designate Los Choneros and 21 other criminal groups operating in the country as terror organizations.

In February 2024, the US Department of the Treasury sanctioned Los Choneros and Macias over their drug trafficking and violent activities in Ecuador and across the continent.

Noboa said Ecuador is working to extradite him to the US and is awaiting a response from American officials.

Noboa had previously requested that the Trump administration designate Los Choneros and other cartel connected prison gangs in Ecuador as terrorist groups. 

The assassination of a prominent Presidential candidate prior to elections in 2023 came after the candidate, a journalist activist had reported Sinaloa Cartel connections directed at the gang.

Sources CNN

Categories: ecuador, fito, los choneros