Latest news with #JoseAdolfoMacias
CNN
4 hours ago
- CNN
Video shows Ecuador's most wanted man and gang leader ‘Fito' captured
Ecuador's most wanted man and leader of the Los Choneros gang, Jose Adolfo Macias, known as 'Fito,' was captured on Wednesday, according to the country's President Daniel Noboa. He escaped from a prison in Guayaquil in January 2024, which unleashed a wave of violence in the country.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Ecuador recaptures gang leader ‘Fito' indicted by US
Ecuador's most-wanted fugitive, the leader of the Los Choneros criminal group, has been recaptured after escaping jail last year, the government has announced. 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 Ecuadorean president Daniel Noboa, whose government had offered a reward of $1 million for information leading to Macias' capture. Mr Noboa said Ecuador had requested Macias be extradited to the US, where he is set to face international drug and gun charges in a federal court in New York. READ MORE 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. - Reuters
CNN
4 hours ago
- CNN
Video shows Ecuador's most wanted man and gang leader ‘Fito' captured
Ecuador's most wanted man and leader of the Los Choneros gang, Jose Adolfo Macias, known as 'Fito,' was captured on Wednesday, according to the country's President Daniel Noboa. He escaped from a prison in Guayaquil in January 2024, which unleashed a wave of violence in the country.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
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.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fito - Ecuador's most-wanted fugitive - found hiding under kitchen counter after a year on the run
Ecuador's most-wanted fugitive has been recaptured - more than a year after he escaped from a maximum-security prison. Jose Adolfo Macias, also known as "Fito", led a gang called Los Choneros and was discovered in his hometown of Manta following a 10-hour operation. Footage from the Ecuadorian army showed a uniformed officer aiming a gun at the drug trafficker's head after finding him hiding in a small hole beneath a kitchen counter. "Fito" has an extensive criminal record including charges of murder and organised crime, and he was sentenced to 34 years behind bars in 2011. Officials are yet to explain how he escaped - and only realised he was missing when the military arrived to transfer him to another prison and found his cell empty. A 60-day state of emergency was declared, with hooded gunmen bursting onto the set of a live television studio and declaring they had bombs. Interpol quickly issued an arrest warrant for Macias, who is due to face international drug and gun charges at a court in New York. He has been accused of distributing cocaine around the world, and smuggling firearms and ammunition from the US into Ecuador with the help of Mexican cartels. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa confirmed the country has already requested his extradition to the US - and vowed that more notorious gang members "will fall". Read more world news: "Fito" had cult status among the public and was known for throwing parties in prison, where he had access to alcohol and roosters for cockfighting matches. In 2023, he released a video addressed to the Ecuadorian people while behind bars - and was flanked by armed men. The US classified Los Choneros as one of the world's most violent gangs last year, while Ecuador has described it as a terrorist organisation. His capture comes weeks after the government announced that the reward for his capture was going to be increased to $1m (£729,000).
