Ecuador captures gang leader over a year after his escaping prison
A fugitive drug trafficker wanted by authorities in Ecuador and the United States was recaptured more than a year after he escaped from prison in the Andean nation, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced Wednesday.
José Adolfo Macías, alias 'Fito,' who led a gang called 'Los Choneros" in Ecuador and has been indicted in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States, was captured in the Ecuadorian city of Manta, his hometown, officials in Ecuador said.
Interpol had issued an arrest warrant for Macias after his mysterious prison escape in early 2024 from the Guayaquil Regional Prison, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking. Ecuadorian authorities have yet to explain how he escaped. They only learned of his escape when a military contingent arrived to transfer him to another maximum-security prison but didn't find him in his cell.
The Ecuadorian army confirmed Macias' recapture in what appeared to be the basement of a house. A video provided by the army showed the moment of the arrest, with a uniformed officer aiming a gun at the head of the drug trafficker, who gave his full name. The officers had found him hiding in a small hole beneath what appeared to be a kitchen counter.
Wednesday's announcement of his arrest comes in the same week that Federico Gómez, alias 'Fede,' the leader of another gang called Las Aguilas, was confirmed to have escaped from an Ecuadorian prison.
Last year, US Attorney John Durham said in a news release that Macias led Los Choneros and its 'network of assassins and drug and weapon traffickers' since at least 2020.
With an extensive criminal record including charges of murder and organized crime, Macías has cultivated a cult status among fellow gang members and the public in his home country.
While behind bars in 2023, he released a video addressed to 'the Ecuadorian people' while flanked by armed men. He also threw parties in prison, where he had access to everything from liquor to roosters for cockfighting matches.
The seven-count indictment unsealed in Brooklyn charges Macías and an unidentified co-defendant with international cocaine distribution, conspiracy and weapons counts, including smuggling firearms from the United States.
Los Choneros employed people to buy firearms, components and ammunition in the United States and smuggle them into Ecuador, according to the indictment. Cocaine would flow into the United States with the help of Mexican cartels.
'Los Choneros operated a vast network responsible for the shipment and distribution of multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America through Central America and Mexico to the United States and elsewhere,' the indictment says.
Last year, the US classified Los Choneros as one of the most violent gangs and affirmed its connection to powerful Mexican drug cartels who threaten Ecuador and the surrounding region.
Authorities in Ecuador have classified the gang as a terrorist organization. Earlier this month, the Ecuadorian government announced the reward for the capture of Macías would be increased to $1 million.
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France 24
11 hours ago
- France 24
Ecuador captures gang leader over a year after his escaping prison
A fugitive drug trafficker wanted by authorities in Ecuador and the United States was recaptured more than a year after he escaped from prison in the Andean nation, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced Wednesday. José Adolfo Macías, alias 'Fito,' who led a gang called 'Los Choneros" in Ecuador and has been indicted in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States, was captured in the Ecuadorian city of Manta, his hometown, officials in Ecuador said. Interpol had issued an arrest warrant for Macias after his mysterious prison escape in early 2024 from the Guayaquil Regional Prison, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking. Ecuadorian authorities have yet to explain how he escaped. They only learned of his escape when a military contingent arrived to transfer him to another maximum-security prison but didn't find him in his cell. The Ecuadorian army confirmed Macias' recapture in what appeared to be the basement of a house. A video provided by the army showed the moment of the arrest, with a uniformed officer aiming a gun at the head of the drug trafficker, who gave his full name. The officers had found him hiding in a small hole beneath what appeared to be a kitchen counter. Wednesday's announcement of his arrest comes in the same week that Federico Gómez, alias 'Fede,' the leader of another gang called Las Aguilas, was confirmed to have escaped from an Ecuadorian prison. Last year, US Attorney John Durham said in a news release that Macias led Los Choneros and its 'network of assassins and drug and weapon traffickers' since at least 2020. With an extensive criminal record including charges of murder and organized crime, Macías has cultivated a cult status among fellow gang members and the public in his home country. While behind bars in 2023, he released a video addressed to 'the Ecuadorian people' while flanked by armed men. He also threw parties in prison, where he had access to everything from liquor to roosters for cockfighting matches. The seven-count indictment unsealed in Brooklyn charges Macías and an unidentified co-defendant with international cocaine distribution, conspiracy and weapons counts, including smuggling firearms from the United States. Los Choneros employed people to buy firearms, components and ammunition in the United States and smuggle them into Ecuador, according to the indictment. Cocaine would flow into the United States with the help of Mexican cartels. 'Los Choneros operated a vast network responsible for the shipment and distribution of multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America through Central America and Mexico to the United States and elsewhere,' the indictment says. Last year, the US classified Los Choneros as one of the most violent gangs and affirmed its connection to powerful Mexican drug cartels who threaten Ecuador and the surrounding region. Authorities in Ecuador have classified the gang as a terrorist organization. Earlier this month, the Ecuadorian government announced the reward for the capture of Macías would be increased to $1 million.
France 24
12 hours ago
- France 24
Ecuador's most-wanted gang leader 'Fito' captured
"We have done our part to proceed with Fito's extradition to the United States, we are awaiting their response," Daniel Noboa wrote on X. Drug lord Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as Fito, escaped custody in Ecuador in early 2024 and American prosecutors charged him, in absentia, with seven counts of cocaine distribution, conspiracy and firearms-related crimes, including weapons smuggling. Macias Villamar's January 2024 escape resulted in a surge of gang-related violence in Ecuador that lasted days and left about 20 people dead. Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency in nearly a third of its provinces to quell the violence, but the drug lord was at-large until Wednesday's announcement. The months-long manhunt ended Wednesday with the president stating that Fito was in the custody of special military forces fighting narcotics trafficking. The army and police reported that he was captured during an operation in the city of Manta, a fishing port in the western part of the country considered a stronghold for his gang. Cartel terror campaign Ecuador, once a peaceful haven between the world's two top cocaine exporters Colombia and Peru, has seen violence erupt in recent years as enemy gangs vie for control and establish ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels. Macias Villamar is the leader of Los Choneros, the leading criminal gang in a country plagued by organized crime. Gang wars largely played out inside the country's prisons, where Macias Villamar wielded immense control. He had been held since 2011, serving a 34-year sentence for organized crime, drug trafficking and murder. When he escaped, Macias Villamar was also considered a suspect in ordering the assassination of presidential candidate and anti-corruption crusader Fernando Villavicencio. In the hours after the drug lord's escape, prison riots broke out and four police officers were taken hostage, where one was forced to read a threatening message to Noboa. Armed men wearing balaclavas also took over a television station during a live broadcast, forcing the terrified crew to the ground and firing shots. Soon after, Noboa announced the country was in a state of "internal armed conflict" and ordered the military and tanks into the streets to "neutralize" the gangs. US prosecutors allege his gang worked with Mexico's Sinaloa cartel to control key drug trafficking routes between South America and the United States. Ecuador's government had offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture. If convicted, Fito faces life in prison.
Euronews
a day ago
- Euronews
Police seize €57 million in black market medicines, weight loss drugs
Police agencies worldwide seized $65 million (€57.2 million) worth of counterfeit or unapproved medicines in a major international bust that took aim at the deluge of cheap fakes sold online. Between December and May, authorities in 90 countries – including 16 in the European Union – confiscated 50.4 million doses of drugs that were either fake, misbranded, unapproved, or diverted, according to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), which coordinated the operation. In Europe, many of the seizures were for counterfeit or unapproved weight loss drugs and peptide supplements, which Interpol said reflects the surging popularity of 'cosmetic and performance-enhancing' pharmaceuticals. These drugs are so widely available online and on social media that police are having a hard time keeping up, Alfonso Mejuto Rodríguez, Interpol's pro tempore assistant director of criminal networks, told Euronews Health. 'It's not even necessary to go to the dark web [because] there are a lot of advertisements online,' Rodríguez said. The drugs are marketed as 'good for your health, good for your image,' he added. 'That is exactly the risk for human health, because when you buy them, you are not really sure what they contain'. The World Health Organization (WHO) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have both warned in recent years that the black market is flourishing for counterfeit semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in blockbuster anti-obesity and diabetes medicines such as Ozempic and Wegovy. Interpol said a single semaglutide pen can sell for hundreds of euros on the black market. Meanwhile, peptide seizures were relatively rare until recently. The agency said the uptick in Europe, North America, and Oceania reflects a rise in demand for supplements such as BPC-157, ipamorelin, and melanotan, which are unproven products sold illegally as wellness, anti-ageing, or cosmetic aids. Melanotan, for example, is a synthetic hormone designed to boost melanin production, giving people the appearance of tanned skin. Sometimes called the 'Barbie drug,' melanotan has taken off on platforms such as TikTok – but it is not regulated in Europe and health agencies have warned that it may cause serious health problems. 'With a lot of substances, the marketing is amplified by influencers, for instance in terms of health and culture,' Rodríguez said. Most commonly seized drugs Worldwide, the most commonly seized illicit pharmaceuticals were psychostimulants, anti-anxiety drugs, and Parkinson's disease medicines, followed by erectile dysfunction drugs, Interpol said. Other commonly seized counterfeit or otherwise illegal drugs include anabolic steroids, anti-smoking medicines, dermatological agents, health supplements, herbal products, and psychotropic medications for mental health conditions. Police also confiscated the opioid painkiller oxycodone in Bulgaria, France, Ireland, and Sweden. The sale of counterfeit medicines can have deadly consequences. In March, a 30-year-old man died after taking fake painkillers in the Netherlands, and last month, health authorities in Denmark warned that they were also circulating there. 'It seems that in the West, the demand for painkillers is rising… and criminals are taking advantage of it,' Rodríguez said. 13,000 websites, accounts shut down As part of the Interpol operation, nearly 800 suspects were arrested and 123 criminal groups were dismantled. Police also took down about 13,000 websites, social media accounts, and bots that advertised and sold illegal or counterfeit medicines online. Authorities in Ireland shuttered about 1,400 online listings for fake or illegal medicines, more than any other country except for Malaysia and Russia. Together with Singapore and Iran, the five countries accounted for 96 per cent of all listings that were taken down. Ireland also saw large seizures of illegal medicines, as did the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, according to Interpol. In Portugal, for example, police discovered anabolic steroids in eight prisons, which Interpol said was evidence of a criminal smuggling network. The agency noted that Europe-based criminals have easy access to the raw materials and infrastructure needed to run counterfeit drug production networks, meaning they can quickly adapt to changing trends and demand from consumers. 'It's a challenge for law enforcement agencies to follow this activity,' Rodríguez said.
