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3h ago

Ecuador Captures Los Choneros Leader Fito From Hidden Bunker

President Daniel Noboa is awaiting U.S. approval to extradite Macías to face federal indictments in New York.

Escorted by soldiers and police officers, Adolfo "Fito" Macias, the leader of the Choneros gang, arrives in Guayaquil, Ecuador, after getting detained, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Joffre Flores)
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FILE - This wanted poster posted on X by Ecuador's Ministry of Interior, Jan. 9, 2024, shows Adolfo Macías, alias Fito, the leader of Los Choneros gang. (Ecuador's Ministry of Interior via AP, File)

Overview

  • Fito was found hiding in an underground bunker beneath a luxury home in Manta after a 10-hour joint police and military operation.
  • His escape from Guayaquil Regional Prison in January 2024 triggered a wave of gang violence that led to a 60-day state of emergency.
  • Ecuador has requested Macías’s extradition to the United States following his indictment in Brooklyn on cocaine, conspiracy and weapons charges.
  • Los Choneros was designated a terrorist organization by Ecuador and sanctioned by U.S. authorities for ties to Mexican cartels and large-scale cocaine trafficking.
  • President Noboa credited recently enacted security laws for empowering forces to recapture Macías and pledged continued action against organized crime.