Macías, also known by the alias “Fito”, leads Los Choneros, a powerful criminal gang blamed for Ecuador’s transformation from tourist haven to a country with horrendous murder rate
One of South America’s most feared drug kingpins, who escaped prison, has been captured after police uncovered his underground hideaway beneath a luxury coastal mansion.
Ecuador’s Adolfo Macías Villamar, known across Latin America by the alias “Fito”, was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday, bringing to an end a months-long manhunt that had gripped the country. The leader of the notorious Los Choneros gang was found hiding in an underground bunker beneath a luxury three-storey home in the Monterrey neighbourhood.
The operation, carried out jointly by Ecuador’s police and armed forces, lasted more than 10 hours and ended without gunfire. He was taken into custody without resistance. According to police, the house had been under surveillance before officers moved in.
Once inside, they discovered a trap door hidden in the stone floor. A staircase led down to a concealed bunker equipped with air conditioning, a bed, a fan, and a refrigerator. The home itself featured a private gym and games room.
The 45-year-old fugitive was then flown under armed escort to Guayaquil, where he was transferred to the maximum-security La Roca prison, where Ecuador’s most dangerous criminals are held.
President Daniel Noboa praised the operation and confirmed that Fito would be extradited to the United States, where he faces charges of cocaine trafficking.
“More [drug lords] will fall,” Noboa said. “We will regain [control of] the country.” Fito’s capture is a major breakthrough for Ecuador’s government, which has been battling escalating violence linked to the country’s powerful criminal networks.
His escape from La Regional prison in Guayaquil in January 2024 triggered a national security emergency and widespread prison riots that left several guards hostage.
It also prompted Noboa to declare a state of emergency and implement sweeping security reforms.
At the time of his escape, Fito was serving a 34-year sentence for murder and drug trafficking. From within prison, he continued to lead Los Choneros – a gang involved in large-scale drug trafficking, extortion, and assassinations.
Authorities say he is also suspected of ordering the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023, a killing that sent shockwaves through the country and the international community.
Under Fito’s leadership, Los Choneros forged close links with Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa cartel run by drug lord El Chapo.
The alliance is believed to have introduced the brutal tactics associated with Mexico’s drug war, including beheadings and mutilations, into Ecuador’s gang warfare.
Fito’s capture follows months of political pressure on President Noboa, who came to office in late 2023 vowing to crack down on organised crime. In response to the prison crisis earlier this year, his government passed laws granting police expanded powers, including warrantless searches and the authority to declare an “internal armed conflict” against gangs.
Though the arrest is a major victory for the Noboa administration, security experts warn that Los Choneros remain highly active and that Ecuador’s criminal gangs will not be dismantled.
