Ecuadorian police and military forces have recaptured Jose Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias “Fito,” leader of the Los Choneros gang, ending a nearly 18-month manhunt following his escape from prison in January 2024.
According to reports, Fito was found in a concealed bunker beneath a luxury home in Manta’s Monterrey neighborhood. The underground hideout, accessed through a disguised trap door, was equipped with a bed, air conditioning, and a fridge.
He was flown to Guayaquil and transferred to the La Roca maximum-security prison after the 10-hour operation.
President Daniel Noboa confirmed the arrest and said Ecuador is seeking Fito’s extradition to the U.S., where he faces drug trafficking and firearms charges.
“To those who opposed and doubted the need for the Solidarity and Intelligence laws: thanks to those laws, Fito was captured today and is in the hands of the Security Block,” Noboa wrote on X. “My recognition to our police and military who participated in this operation. More will fall, we will reclaim the country. No truce.”
Fito’s January 2024 escape from La Regional prison, allegedly aided by guards, “triggered widespread riots, bombings, kidnappings, the assassination of a prominent prosecutor, and an armed attack on a TV network during a live broadcast,” the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador said last year. The incidents prompted President Noboa to declare a 60-day state of emergency across Ecuador.
Fito is suspected of ordering the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in August 2023 and is linked to the Sinaloa cartel, which expanded Mexican-style cartel violence in Ecuador.
