The arrests of Fito’s relatives began a ‘chain of events’ that led to his Manta hideout

Before last month’s arrests of relatives of fugitive José Macías, alias ‘Fito’, authorities believed Macías was out of the country. “Our best information was that he was in Colombia,” Interior Minister John Reimberg said. “The interrogations of the family members revealed that he was, in fact, in Ecuador and led to his capture yesterday.”

José Macías, alias ‘Fito’, following capture on Wednesday.

Macías, Ecuador’s most wanted fugitive, was captured Wednesday near Manta after he emerged from an underground bunker at a friend’s house. Four other men were arrested with him.

According to Reimberg, none of Macías’ relatives revealed his location. “They did not tell us where he was but the information they provided was crucial in finding his hideout. It allowed us to connect the dots.”

One of the keys to the arrest, Reimberg said, was Germán Mendoza, the owner of the property where Macías was captured. One of the men arrested with Macías, Mendoza was a supervisor at the Manta Transportation Authority. “Based on our intelligence we knew he would lead us to Macías,” Reimberg said, adding that Mendoza had been under surveillance for about two weeks.

Once Mendoza’s ties with Macías were determined, investigators tracked cell phone calls and internet use to the location.

When police raided Mendoza’s three-story house, they discovered a sliding trap door disguised as part of the stone floor, from which metal stairs led to Macías’ bunker. The bunker also had an outside entry hidden in shrubbery. As 30 police scoured the house and property, Macías emerged with his hands raised and surrendered.

According to police, the bunker was air conditioned and had beds, a bathroom and kitchen area. The space had internet service and police seized a laptop computer and two cell phones during the raid.

In addition to Mendoza, police also arrested Carlos Enrique Cedeño, Eduardo Hurtado and Freddy Zambrano, all believed to bodyguards for Macías. Cedeño had previously been arrested for robbery, weapons possession and murder.

Reimberg praised the police intelligence agents who determined Macías location. “Their work and the support from the military intelligence office was outstanding in this case,” he said, adding: “This was a 100% Ecuadorian operation with no outside assistance.”

Asked why Macías’ relatives were not arrested sooner, Reimberg said that evidence against them was “unsubstantial” until late May. “It required months of investigation to establish the money laundering charges, which was the basis for the arrests,” he said.

Among those arrested in the June 3 raids were Macías’ girlfriend, brother, mother-in-law, father-in-law, and two brothers-in-law. His wife remains at large.

Macías is being held at the maximum security “La Roca” prison in Guayaquil awaiting extradition to the U.S., where he is wanted on a variety of charges, including drug trafficking and murder.