Ecuador Recaptures Interpol-Wanted Gang Leader Fito After Yearlong Manhunt

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced the recapture of José Adolfo Macías, alias ‘Fito’, the country’s most wanted fugitive and leader of the violent 'Los Choneros' gang, more than a year after his escape from Guayaquil Regional Prison triggered a national security crisis. Macías, wanted in both Ecuador and the US for leading a vast cocaine trafficking and weapons smuggling operation, was found hiding in a concealed basement space beneath a kitchen counter in his hometown of Manta. His January 2024 escape—still shrouded in mystery—led authorities to discover his absence only during a planned transfer to a higher-security facility and resulted in the Ecuadorian government classifying Los Choneros and other gangs as terrorist organizations. US authorities and Interpol had issued arrest warrants, and US prosecutors have indicted Macías for importing thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States and for firearms trafficking, linking his organization to Mexican cartels. The Ecuadorian government has requested Macías' extradition to the US, where he faces a federal indictment in New York. His recapture comes amid ongoing concerns about Ecuador’s security, underscored by the recent escape of another gang leader, Federico Gómez ('Fede') of Las Aguilas.