José Adolfo Macías Villamar (born 30 September 1979),[1] also known by the alias Fito, is an Ecuadorian drug trafficker and the current leader of Los Choneros cartel. He assumed leadership in 2020 following the murder of his predecessor Jorge Luis Zambrano. He had been incarcerated since 2011, having previously escaped prison and lived as a fugitive in 2013.[2] In January 2024, he escaped from prison again, prompting a state of emergency to be called in Ecuador for sixty days and initiating the 2024 conflict in Ecuador.[3]
José Adolfo Macías Villamar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 September 1979 |
| Nationality | Ecuadorian |
| Other names | Fito |
| Occupation | Drug trafficker • Current leader of Los Choneros cartel |
| Known for | Initiating the 2024 conflict in Ecuador |
Criminal career
Macías was first arrested in 2000 for committing robbery.[citation needed]
In 2011, he was arrested for drug trafficking and organized crime and was imprisoned in La Roca Prison. On 11 February 2013, he escaped along with 17 other members of Los Choneros. To carry out the escape, they immobilized fourteen prison guards and fled by boats on the Daule River.[citation needed] In May 2013, they were recaptured while at their own residence.[2]
When Jorge Luis Zambrano, the previous leader of Los Choneros, was murdered in December 2020, Macías and Junior Roldán became the successors to the criminal syndicate. Three years later, Roldán was murdered, leaving Macías as the sole leader of Los Choneros. When Macías assumed leadership, many accused him of Zambrano's death to gain power in prison.[citation needed] This caused a rupture in Los Choneros, as some claimed Zambrano would never have a successor.[4]
He was serving a sentence of thirty-four years in the Litoral Penitentiary for organized crime, drug trafficking, and murders.[5]
He escaped from prison in January 2024, leading the government to declare a state of emergency. In response, criminal gangs launched several attacks against civilians and the police.[6]
Before his escape, he exercised "significant internal control of the prison" where he was incarcerated. Fito and Junior Roldán, another leader of 'Los Choneros' who was killed in 2023 in Colombia, had "differentiated and preferential treatment by the authorities".[7]
Kidnapping of his daughter
On 17 November 2021, Macías's daughter was allegedly kidnapped along with her cousin. Later, on November 21, she was released and reported that the kidnapper did not harm or abuse them. It was revealed that the young women were kidnapped in the El Aromo area.[8]