Ecuador recaptures gang leader 'Fito' indicted by U.S.
GUAYAQUIL (Reuters) -Ecuador's most-wanted fugitive, the leader of the Los Choneros criminal group, has been recaptured after escaping jail last year, President Daniel Noboa said on Wednesday.
Jose Adolfo Macias, known as "Fito," disappeared from the Guayaquil prison where he was being held in January 2024, amid an explosion of violence including the on-air invasion of a television station by armed men and the hostage-taking of more than 200 prison officials.
"My recognition to our police and military who participated in this operation. More will fall, we will reclaim the country. No truce," said Noboa, whose government had offered a reward of $1 million for information leading to Macias' capture, on X.
Noboa said Ecuador had requested Macias be extradited to the U.S., where he is set to face international drug and gun charges in a federal court in New York.
Macias was sentenced in 2011 to 34 years in prison for various crimes including drug trafficking and murder.
The United States imposed sanctions on Los Choneros last year, saying they have been involved in drug trafficking since the 1990s and accusing the group of being a key driver of escalating violence in the country since 2020, including within overcrowded prisons.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Pensacola man sentenced for machine gun, drug trafficking after car chase
A Pensacola man who led Florida Highway Patrol troopers on a high-speed chase down Pensacola Boulevard in 2023 has been sentenced to spend nine years in a federal prison. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced June 24 that 21-year-old Antoine Booker was given the nine-year sentence for possessing a loaded gun and trafficking "large amounts" of marijuana. "The public should rest assured that law enforcement will not stand for armed drug traffickers endangering citizens in our streets," said U.S. Attorney John Heekin. "If you possess a machinegun to protect your drug trafficking operations, you should know that federal prison awaits you." FHP attempted to pull over Booker in December 2023 for driving a rental car with too much tint, but when the trooper attempted the traffic stop, Booker then fled. "Suddenly, the driver rapidly accelerated and swerved left towards the K-9 Trooper's vehicle who just arrived to assist with the traffic stop," the 2023 FHP report says. "The driver then swerved right into a Circle K gas station located at 7950 Pensacola Boulevard." Booker then allegedly led troopers on a brief chase before he flipped his own car. Following his arrest, Booker was charged in state court for fleeing law enforcement, possession of a machine gun and other drug related offenses. However, the Office of the State Attorney dropped those charges in February 2024 after he was federally indicted on the same charges. "Had it not been for law enforcement's training and determination, this armed suspect would have undoubtedly wreaked havoc in Northwest Florida," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Kirk Howard. "We are proud of the partnerships we've built with Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Escambia County Sheriff's Office and our federal prosecutors." This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola man sentenced for machine gun, drug trafficking after chase
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Brazil's Lula challenged by 1st decree rejection in Congress in decades
SAO PAULO — Brazil's Congress on Wednesday nullified a presidential decree for the first time in decades, rejecting a move by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to hike a financial transactions tax and signaling flagging support for his left-of-center administration. Lula's allies had only 98 votes against 383 in the lower house to keep the tax increase on some transactions, including foreign exchange and credit cards. Two hours later, senators also defeated the decree.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Brazil's Lula challenged by 1st decree rejection in Congress in decades
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's Congress on Wednesday nullified a presidential decree for the first time in decades, rejecting a move by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to hike a financial transactions tax and signaling flagging support for his left-of-center administration. Lula's allies had only 98 votes against 383 in the lower house to keep the tax increase on some transactions, including foreign exchange and credit cards. Two hours later, senators also defeated the decree. It was the first time lawmakers overturned a presidential decree in Brazil since 1992, in a rebuke of Lula one year ahead of the country's next presidential election campaign. The rejection came despite members of Lula's administration saying that the content of the decree had been negotiated with legislative leaders, including Speaker Hugo Motta and Sen. Davi Alcolumbre, the president of the Senate. Motta, seen as a moderate, said that the vote 'speaks for itself' and that 'Each branch of power has to understand the other's limits. That's democracy.' He did not elaborate. Thomas Traumann, an independent political consultant and former Brazilian minister, said the decision by lawmakers indicates Lula does 'not have a stable majority in Congress.' He called it a historic defeat for the president about a year before the campaign trail begins. 'If this was a parliamentary system, it would have been the end of this government,' Traumann said. The previous president to have a decree nixed by Congress was Fernando Collor more than 32 years ago, only weeks before he was impeached and removed from office. His decree at the time was about government-issued bonds. Since the presidency of Michel Temer between 2016 and 2018, Brazil's congress has had control over much of the country's budget, but the president can raise some taxes by decree. Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said on Thursday the Brazilian government is considering three alternatives to deal with Congress' decision — take it to the Supreme Court, seek new sources of income or slashing the country's budget. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
