José Adolfo Macías Villamar (born 30 September 1979), also known by the alias Fito, is an Ecuadorian

drug trafficker The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through ...

and the current leader of

Los Choneros Los Choneros is an organized crime syndicate and drug cartel based in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, with a notable presence along much of the country's coastline. The gang is known for its involvement in organized crime, including drug traffick ...

cartel. He assumed leadership in 2020 following the murder of his predecessor

Jorge Luis Zambrano Jorge Luis Zambrano González (3 October 1981 – 28 December 2020), also known by the alias ''Rasquiña'', was an Ecuadorian drug trafficker. He was the leader of Los Choneros from 2007 until his murder in 2020. Early life Zambrano was born ...

. He had been incarcerated since 2011, having previously escaped prison and lived as a fugitive in 2013. In January 2024, he escaped from prison again, prompting a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

to be called in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

for sixty days and initiating the

2024 conflict in Ecuador On 9 January 2024, an armed conflict broke out in Ecuador involving the country's government against several organized crime groups, most notably the Los Choneros cartel. Reports of armed attacks throughout Guayaquil and other parts of the co ...

Criminal career

Macías was first arrested in 2000 for committing robbery. 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

. To carry out the escape, they immobilized fourteen prison guards and fled by boats on the Daule River. In May 2013, they were recaptured while at their own residence. When

, the previous leader of

, 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. This caused a rupture in Los Choneros, as some claimed Zambrano would never have a successor. He was serving a sentence of thirty-four years in the

Litoral Penitentiary The Litoral Penitentiary ( es, Penitenciaría del Litoral), known officially as Center for Social Rehabilitation of Men No. 1 of Guayaquil ( es, Centro de Rehabilitación Social de Varones N. 1 de Guayaquil) is the largest prison in Ecuador. It i ...

for organized crime, drug trafficking, and murders. 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. 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 Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, had "differentiated and preferential treatment by the authorities".

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.

References

Ecuadorian drug traffickers People from Manta, Ecuador 1979 births Living people Ecuadorian escapees {{Ecuador-stub