The indictment of one of Ecuador’s top criminals by a US federal court suggests that he is still directing his criminal empire while on the run, and that Ecuador is increasingly seeking US support to manage the country’s security crisis.
The leader of the Choneros criminal group, José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias “Fito,” was indicted on April 2 in a US federal court in Brooklyn on drug trafficking and gun charges. If convicted, Fito could get a sentence ranging from ten years to life in prison.
But right now, Fito’s whereabouts remain unknown after he disappeared without a trace in January 2024 from Ecuador’s La Regional prison, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for various crimes including drug trafficking and murder. It was the second time he escaped from a maximum security facility, after he was first imprisoned in 2011. This time, he has so far avoided recapture.
While the exact details remain a mystery, Fito’s escape was the result of his extensive control over La Regional. From his stronghold behind bars — which was equipped with luxuries like televisions, air conditioning, a bar, and a swimming pool — Fito directed the Choneros’ criminal activities, including extortion and small-time drug dealing, and acting as service providers for transnational drug trafficking organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel.
The vast majority of drugs trafficked by the Choneros were eventually imported into the United States, according to the unsealed indictment. However, there have also been record-breaking seizures of cocaine shipments destined for Europe in recent years that have been linked to Ecuadorian criminal groups.
Fito has also overseen an exponential rise in violence in Ecuador. Following the death of his predecessor Jorge Luis Zambrano, alias “Rasquiña,” in 2020, a brutal war between former factions of the Choneros has engulfed much of the country. Since 2021, hundreds have died in massacres behind bars and on the streets, making Ecuador one of the most violent countries in Latin America and the Caribbean in the last few years.
In response, in January 2024, following Fito’s most recent escape, President Daniel Noboa declared an “internal armed conflict” against 22 “terrorist” organizations, including the Choneros, and ordered a manhunt for Fito.
InSight Crime Analysis
Fito’s indictment by the United States suggests two things: that Fito continues to control the Choneros’ criminal activities while in hiding, and that Ecuador has shifted its approach to US involvement in national security issues.
Among other charges, the indictment connects Fito to trafficking cocaine since he fled La Regional prison — including cocaine shipments that were seized in January and February — suggesting that he remains active even as a fugitive. It also accuses him of employing “individuals who purchased firearms, firearms components and ammunitions on Los Choneros’ behalf in the United States and then illegally smuggled them to Ecuador.” This implies a considerably more sophisticated deviation from the Choneros’ usual methods.
The Choneros primarily act as service providers, controlling trafficking routes and managing logistics in Ecuador for transnational criminal groups. Most of the weapons used by Ecuadorian organized crime groups are manufactured in the United States, according to a 2024 report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. The weapons are usually trafficked through Mexico, Colombia, or Peru before arriving in Ecuador, often in exchange for drugs, money, or services.
If, as the indictment suggests, Fito was running arms trafficking networks from the United States, this would indicate a significant expansion in the Choneros’ reach and involvement in transnational crime. More likely, however, investigators traced weapons used by Fito and the Choneros to a US source.
Fito’s indictment also demonstrates the United States’ growing role in Ecuador’s gang crackdown. If Fito is captured in Ecuador, he could be the first Ecuadorian criminal to be extradited to the United States from that country since the extradition of Ecuadorian citizens was banned in the country’s 2008 constitution. In 2024, Ecuadorians voted overwhelmingly in favor of allowing extradition of criminals to the United States, despite voting against the measure in 2023. Other Ecuadorian criminals have been extradited to the United States, but from other countries.
In addition to allowing extradition, the Ecuadorian government is welcoming broader US involvement. Noboa is up for reelection on April 13 and has made US support a key part of his campaign. On March 26, the Ecuadorian presidency’s official Instagram account published a list of security projects being restarted with funding from the United States. Shortly after Noboa met with US President Donald Trump on March 29, the US government approved the sale of $64 million worth of weapons to Ecuador. Noboa has also proposed a change to the constitution to allow foreign military bases on Ecuadorian territory, which is being considered in the National Assembly.
Featured image: Choneros leader, José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias “Fito.” Credit: El País
