A plane carrying the most sought after fugitive from Ecuador and leader of the Los Choneros criminal group landed in Guayaquil on Wednesday night after his recapture.
disappeared from the Guayaquil Regional Penitentiary where he was detained in January 2024, amid an explosion of violence, including the live invasion of a television station by armed men and hostage to more than 200 prison officers.
“Fitus” escaped a wave of violence in Ecuador, leading President Daniel Noboa to declare internal armed conflict and declare the Gang Los Choneros and 21 other criminal organizations operating in the country as terrorist organizations.
Noboa said Ecuador has requested the extradition of Macias to the US, where he should face international drug and weapon -possession accusations at 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 have imposed sanctions on last year, claiming that they have been involved in drug trafficking since the 1990s and accusing the group of being one of the leading drivers of escalation of violence in the country since 2020, including overcrowded arrests.
(With information from Reuters)
