Ecuador Recaptures Los Choneros Boss ‘Fito’, Seeks US Extradition

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Updated Jun 30, 2025, 08:59 PM

Ecuadorian security forces have recaptured drug trafficker José Adolfo Macías Villamar, better known as “Fito,” ending a 17-month manhunt. The 45-year-old leader of the Los Choneros gang was found late Wednesday hiding in a reinforced bunker beneath a three-storey house in Montecristi, near the coastal city of Manta, after a 10-hour joint operation by the army and police, President Daniel Noboa said. No shots were fired, and four alleged bodyguards were also detained.

Macías had escaped in January 2024 from the Regional Prison in Guayaquil, a breakout that triggered riots and gang attacks nationwide and led Noboa to declare a state of internal armed conflict. Authorities had offered a US$1 million reward for information on his whereabouts. Following his capture, he was flown to the maximum-security La Roca facility in Guayaquil to continue serving a 34-year sentence for murder, drug trafficking and organized crime.

Quito has now begun proceedings to extradite Macías to the United States, where a federal court in New York unsealed a seven-count indictment in April accusing him of conspiring with Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel to ship cocaine north and of smuggling firearms. Noboa said extraditing him “as soon as possible would be best,” while legal experts cautioned the process could take several months. Washington praised Ecuador for the arrest.

Security officials remain on alert for reprisals. Analysts say the capture bolsters Noboa’s aggressive anti-gang agenda but warn that removing the gang’s figurehead could splinter Los Choneros and ignite further violence as rival factions compete for control of cocaine routes along the Pacific coast.

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#José Adolfo Macías Villamar #Los Choneros #Montecristi #Manta #Daniel Noboa #Macías #Regional Prison #Guayaquil #Noboa #La Roca #Quito #United States #New York #Mexico #Sinaloa #Washington #Ecuador #Pacific

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El Espectador

@elespectador

The Government clarified that it has not taken steps on “Fito” with Ecuador. “I have no idea who he is,” said President Petro. 🔗👇

El Economista

@eleconomista

🌐 International | Colombia denies any connection with the arrest of the Ecuadorian criminal boss' Fito '🇨🇴

Fuerza Informativa Azteca

@AztecaNoticias

Mexico extradites alleged drug trafficker to #EU Héctor Adrián Rojero, accused of trafficking fentanyl and heroin, was handed over to the AICM to US authorities. He was required by the Texas Federal Court for crimes of criminal association and against health.