Ecuador’s most wanted fugitive, ‘Fito,’ captured and will be extradited to the United States

Jose Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito,” Ecuador’s most-wanted fugitive, has been captured after escaping from prison in early 2024, President Daniel Noboa announced Wednesday.

Jose Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito,” following his Wednesday arrest.

The leader of the Los Choneros criminal gang, Macias, disappeared from Guayaquil’s Litorial prison where he was being held in January 2024 amid an explosion of violence, including the on-air invasion of a television station by armed men and the hostage-taking of more than 200 prison officials.

An investigation following the escape determined that Macias and the Los Choneros bribed prison guards to allow him to walk out the prison gate.

“I commend our police and military who participated in this successful operation, Noboa said. “We will soon announce the capture of other criminal gang leaders and we will reclaim the country. We are offering no truce!”

Macias, who was widely believed to be living in Colombia, was arrested in Manabi Province Friday afternoon. Police say he was living in the basement of a relative’s home. Four other men, believed to be Los Choneros lieutenants, were also arrested in the raid.

Macias was flown from Manta to Guayaquil Wednesday night where he was placed in the “La Roca” maximum security prison.

Following his escape, the government had offered a reward of $1 million for information leading to Macias’ capture. It is unclear if his capture was related to a tip from a private citizen.

Noboa said Ecuador Macias will be extradited to the U.S., where he is set to face murder, international drug and gun charges in a federal court in New York.

In Ecuador, he is also suspected of having ordered the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023.

Macias was taken to the maximum security “La Roca” prison in Guayaquil pending extradition procedures.

Macias was sentenced in 2011 to 34 years in prison for various crimes including drug trafficking, extortion and murder. He served 13 years in Litoral Prison, officially Detention Center No. 4, but was transferred to La Roca in August 2023. He was returned to Litoral a month later, however, after a judge ruled that prosecutors had not proven the “the dangerousness of the prisoner.” He escaped three months later.

Following his escape, prosecutors disclosed that he lived in a “luxury suite” at Litoral Prison, from which he directed the criminal activities of Los Choneros. The suite included a full bar, extra beds for prostitutes, and computers and cell phones with internet access. Nine prison guards were arrested for “corruption related to Macias” following the escape.

The United States imposed sanctions on Los Choneros last year, saying they have been involved in drug trafficking since the 1990s and accusing the group of being a key driver of escalating violence in the country since 2020, including within overcrowded prisons.