QUITO, Ecuador (BN24) — Ecuadorian authorities have recaptured notorious drug kingpin José Adolfo Macías, alias “Fito,” more than a year after he staged a mysterious escape from prison, President Daniel Noboa confirmed Wednesday. The fugitive, who is also wanted in the United States on major drug trafficking charges, was apprehended in his hometown of Manta on Ecuador’s Pacific coast.
Macías, the longtime leader of the violent gang “Los Choneros,” was taken into custody by Ecuadorian military forces in what appeared to be a coordinated raid. Officials said he was found hiding beneath a kitchen counter in the basement of a house. Footage released by the military shows armed officers storming the property and one of them pointing a rifle at Macías as he confirmed his identity.
Interpol had issued a Red Notice for Macías following his escape from Guayaquil Regional Prison in early 2024. He had been serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking, murder, and organized crime. Authorities only discovered he was missing when military officials arrived to transfer him to a higher-security facility—only to find his cell empty. No credible explanation for the escape has ever been provided.
His recapture marks a significant victory for the Ecuadorian government, which has struggled to contain spiraling violence linked to drug cartels and prison gangs. The arrest also coincides with another high-profile prison break involving Federico Gómez, alias “Fede,” leader of the Las Águilas gang, who escaped custody earlier this week.
Macías has long been one of the most feared criminal figures in Ecuador. U.S. federal prosecutors in New York unsealed a seven-count indictment last year accusing him of trafficking thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States, in coordination with powerful Mexican drug cartels. The indictment also alleges Macías conspired to smuggle firearms and ammunition from the United States into Ecuador.
“Los Choneros operated a vast network responsible for the shipment and distribution of multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America through Central America and Mexico to the United States and elsewhere,” the U.S. indictment states.
U.S. Attorney John Durham has described Los Choneros as a transnational criminal organization comprised of assassins and arms traffickers. Washington designated the gang as one of the Western Hemisphere’s most violent organized crime groups in 2024.
Inside prison, Macías reportedly wielded considerable influence. He hosted lavish parties with liquor and even cockfighting rings, and once released a video message flanked by heavily armed men, addressing “the Ecuadorian people.”
The Ecuadorian government has labeled Los Choneros a terrorist organization and, earlier this month, raised the reward for Macías’ capture to $1 million. His re-arrest is expected to bolster President Noboa’s campaign against organized crime, which has intensified in recent months following a wave of gang-related violence.
The U.S. Justice Department is expected to formally request Macías’ extradition in the coming days, though Ecuadorian authorities have not commented on when or whether that process will begin.
