São Paulo, SP (Folhapress)-, announced on Wednesday (25) the recapture of José Adolfo Macias, known as Fito, the most sought after criminal in the country and leader of the criminal faction Los Choneros.
Fito had escaped from Guayaquil’s arrest in January 2024 during a wave of violence that included the live invasion of a television studio by armed men and taking over 200 prison officers as hostage. His escape became a symbol of the collapse of Ecuadorian public security.
“My recognition to our police and military personnel who participated in this operation. More falling, we will recover the country. Without respite,” said Noboa on platform X. The government had offered a $ 1 million reward for information that led to the capture of phyto.
The president also said that Ecuador requested the criminal’s extradition to the United States, where he must face federal accusations for international drug trafficking and gun possession in a New York Court. Sentenced in 2011 to 34 years in prison for crimes that include murder and drug trafficking, Fito is appointed as a central figure in Ecuadorian organized crime.
The US government has imposed sanctions on the Los Choneros group last year, stating that the organization has been playing drug trafficking since the 1990s and has played a key role in escalating violence in the country since 2020, including within the overcrowded penitentiary system.
The recapture of phyto is seen as an important asset for Noboa, who tries to reverse the advance of criminal factions in the country.
