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yesterday

Ecuador Recaptures Los Choneros Leader Jose Adolfo Macias

His capture ends a manhunt that fuelled prison rebellions, with extradition to the United States on drug and firearms charges planned.

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)
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Overview

  • Ecuadorian security forces arrested Macias in Guayaquil on June 25, 2025, after a coordinated intelligence operation.
  • Macias escaped from a Guayaquil prison in January 2024, triggering armed attacks on a television station and large-scale prison uprisings.
  • President Daniel Noboa offered a $1 million reward for information leading to Macias’s capture and declared a state of emergency to confront gang violence.
  • Ecuador has filed a formal extradition request to the U.S., where Macias faces indictment in New York on international drug trafficking and weapons charges.
  • Macias has led the Los Choneros gang since the 1990s and is accused of collaborating with the Sinaloa Cartel to drive a surge in Ecuador’s cocaine trade and homicide rate.