José Adolfo Macías Villamar
{{Short description|Ecuadorian criminal (born 1979)}}
{{family name hatnote|Macías|Villamar|lang=Spanish}}
{{expand Spanish|topic=bio|date=January 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = José Adolfo Macías Villamar
| image =
| caption = José Adolfo Macías Villamar celebrates his 44th birthday in Litoral Penitentiary
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|09|30|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Manta, Ecuador
| other_names = Fito
| occupation = Drug trafficker • Current leader of Los Choneros cartel
| known_for = Initiating the 2024 conflict in Ecuador
}}
José Adolfo Macías Villamar (born 30 September 1979),{{Cite web |title=Líder de Los Choneros celebró su cumpleaños en la cárcel |url=https://www.expreso.ec/actualidad/lider-choneros-celebro-cumpleanos-carcel-137274.html |access-date=2025-07-12 |website=Diario Expreso |language=spanish}} also known by the alias Fito, is an Ecuadorian drug lord and the current leader of Los Choneros cartel. He assumed leadership in 2020 following the murder of his predecessor Jorge Luis Zambrano. Since then the cartel is accused of turning Ecuador from "a tourist haven to a country with one of the highest murder rates in the region". He had been incarcerated since 2011, having previously escaped prison and lived as a fugitive in 2013.{{cite magazine|access-date=10 January 2024|title=Ecuador's 'Most Wanted' Criminal Has Disappeared From Prison|url=https://time.com/6552988/ecuador-most-wanted-criminal-fito-escape-guayaquil-prison/|date=8 January 2024|magazine=TIME}} 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.{{cite web|access-date=10 January 2024|title=Hooded gunmen burst onto live TV set in Ecuador after drug lord escape triggers state of emergency|url=https://news.sky.com/story/hooded-gunmen-burst-onto-live-tv-set-in-ecuador-after-drug-lord-escape-triggers-state-of-emergency-13044975|website=Sky News}} He was caught on 25 June 2025 and awaits extradition to the United States.{{Cite web |last=Alvarado |first=Ana María Cañizares, Abel |date=2025-06-25 |title=Drug kingpin 'Fito,' Ecuador's most wanted man, has been captured, says Ecuador's president |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/25/americas/fito-ecuador-drug-kingpin-captured-intl-latam |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=CNN |language=en}}
Criminal career
He was first arrested in 2000 for committing robbery.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}
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|date=January 2024}} In May 2013, they were recaptured while at their own residence.
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|date=January 2024}} This caused a rupture in Los Choneros, as some claimed Zambrano would never have a successor.{{Cite web |last=Guaman |first=Jennifer |date=2024-01-08 |title=¿Quién es 'Fito', el líder de Los Choneros que desapareció de su celda en la cárcel Regional de Guayas? |url=https://quenoticias.com/noticias/quien-es-fito-lider-choneros/ |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=Qué Noticias |language=es}}
He was serving a sentence of thirty-four years in the Litoral Penitentiary for organized crime, drug trafficking, and murders.{{Cite web |title=Alias 'Fito', cabecilla de Los Choneros, cumple sentencia de 34 años de cárcel |url=https://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/seguridad/alias-fito-choneros-penitenciaria-litoral.html |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=elcomercio.com|date=19 November 2021 }} 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.{{Cite web |title=Adolfo Macías Villamar: Curfew in Ecuador after infamous gang leader 'Fito' vanishes from cell |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-67912235 |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=BBC News|date=8 January 2024 }} 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".{{Cite web |title=Los grupos criminales a los que Ecuador declaró guerra: ¿nexos con bandas colombianas? |url=https://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/ecuador-grupos-criminales-a-los-que-presidente-declaro-guerra-y-nexos-con-colombia-843160 |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=eltiempo.com|date=10 January 2024 }}
On April 2, 2025, a New York court indicted José Adolfo Macías Villamar on seven counts of drug trafficking, conspiracy, weapons trafficking, and illegal distribution of drugs in the United States.{{Cite web |title=Fugitive leader of violent Ecuadorian drug gang is indicted in New York City |url=https://apnews.com/article/ecuador-villamar-los-choneros-cocaine-distribution-2d77f25322ebcf5bfd23d485a5900790 |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=AP News|date=2 April 2025 }} On 26 June 2025, it was reported he was caught in an underground bunker in the city of Manta.{{Cite web |date=2025-06-26 |title=Ecuador pakt uit gevangenis ontsnapte bendeleider Fito na ruim jaar op |url=https://nos.nl/artikel/2572528-ecuador-pakt-uit-gevangenis-ontsnapte-bendeleider-fito-na-ruim-jaar-op |access-date=2025-07-12 |website=NOS |language=nl}}{{Cite web |date=2025-06-26 |title=Ecuador's most wanted drug lord 'Fito' captured in 'underground bunker' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8g71e2841o |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}} On 11 July 2025, he agreed to be extradited to the United States.{{Cite news |date=2025-07-12 |title=Ecuador's most notorious drug lord agrees to be extradited to U.S. year after dramatic prison escape |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ecuador-drug-lord-fito-agrees-us-extradition/?intcid=CNR-01-0623 |access-date=12 July 2025 |publisher=CBS News |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=12 July 2025 |title=Ecuador's top drug lord agrees to US extradition |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250711-ecuador-s-top-drug-lord-agrees-to-us-extradition |access-date=12 July 2025 |website=France 24 |language=en-GB}}
= 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.{{Cite web |title=La hija de alias 'Fito' contó detalles de los cuatro días de su secuestro |url=https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/seguridad/la-hija-de-alias-fito-conto-detalles-de-los-cuatro-dias-de-su-secuestro-nota/ |access-date=12 January 2024 |website=eluniverso.com|date=22 November 2021 }}
Assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio
Macías is the leading suspect and mastermind behind the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio. Several weeks before the assassination Villavicencio mentioned threats he got from Los Choneros, if he keeps talking about them in his campaign.{{Cite web |last=Soriano |first=Rodrigo |date=2023-08-10 |title=Before assassination, Fernando Villavicencio denounced threats from criminal group linked to Sinaloa Cartel |url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-08-10/before-assassination-fernando-villavicencio-denounced-threats-from-criminal-group-linked-to-sinaloa-cartel.html |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=EL PAÍS English |language=en-us}} It is claimed Fito ordered the assassination from prison and on 9 August 2023 he was assassinated.{{Cite news |title=An Ecuadorian presidential candidate is assassinated |url=https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2023/08/10/an-ecuadorian-presidential-candidate-is-assassinated |access-date=2025-06-26 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}} The killers were part of Los Lobos that is related to Los Choneros.{{Cite news |last=Agencia AFP |date=2023-08-01 |title=Ecuador: Candidato presidencial Fernando Villavicencio denuncia amenazas en su contra |url=https://elcomercio.pe/mundo/latinoamerica/fernando-villavicencio-elecciones-ecuador-2023-candidato-presidencial-denuncia-amenazas-en-su-contra-construye-gente-buena-guillermo-lasso-los-choneros-machala-el-oro-ultimas-noticia/ |access-date=2025-06-26 |work=El Comercio |language=es-PE |issn=1605-3052}}{{Cite news |date=2023-08-10 |title=Candidate in Ecuador's presidential election Fernando Villavicencio shot dead |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-66457472 |access-date=2025-06-26 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Macias Villamar, Jose Adolfo}}
Category:Ecuadorian drug traffickers