Quito – Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa confirmed the capture of Jose Adolfo Macías, better known as “Fito,” the fugitive leader of the feared Los Choneros gang, ending a manhunt that had gripped the nation for nearly six months.

Fito, long considered Ecuador’s most dangerous criminal figure, escaped from prison in January 2024 while serving a 34-year sentence for murder and drug trafficking. His breakout triggered a violent chain reaction across the country, forcing the government to declare an “internal armed conflict” and label 22 criminal organisations, including Los Choneros, as terrorist groups.

The 44-year-old gangster is believed to be the last surviving founder of Los Choneros — a transnational gang with deep ties to Mexican cartels and a deadly influence stretching beyond Ecuador’s borders. For more than a decade, Fito maintained his empire from within prison walls, reportedly overseeing drug shipments, laundering money, and ordering hits with impunity.

“Fito was never really behind bars,” said a former security adviser familiar with the case. “He ran the prison — and parts of the country — from inside his luxury cell.”

Indeed, after his escape, video footage surfaced showing the surreal conditions Fito lived in: a suite-like prison cell complete with a queen-sized bed, flat-screen TV, minibar, private bathroom, and even birthday fireworks.

Sources said Fito regularly hosted female guests, drank alcohol, and had access to internet and mobile phones. “Prison was more of a command centre than a punishment,” noted Ecuadorian security expert Jean Paul Pinto.

Authorities had planned to transfer him to a higher-security facility — a move Fito apparently learned about in advance, prompting his daring escape.

His disappearance sparked weeks of bloodshed. Gangs launched coordinated attacks on police stations, businesses, and state institutions. Prisons erupted in riots. The country, once seen as relatively stable in the Andean region, spiraled into chaos.

President Noboa, newly elected and under immense pressure, declared a national security emergency. He also vowed to retake control of Ecuador’s deeply corrupt prison system.

In February 2024, the United States sanctioned both Fito and Los Choneros, calling them a “major destabilizing force” in Latin America’s drug trade.

President Noboa says Ecuador is now working with the United States to extradite Fito, though no official confirmation from Washington has been issued.

Fito's extradition could open broader conversations around transnational crime, state capture, and the role of U.S. influence in Latin American justice systems. For many Ecuadorians, however, justice still feels distant.

Analysts warn that Fito’s arrest, while symbolically powerful, will not erase the deeper crisis Ecuador faces.

“Fito may be behind bars again, but his network is still active,” said Latin American security analyst Carla Esquivel. “The true test is whether the state can dismantle the system that allowed him to rise — and thrive — in the first place.”

For now, President Noboa is hailing the arrest as a win in his battle to restore order. But in a country where prisons are still ruled by gangs, and drug routes remain wide open, many fear that Ecuador’s fight is far from over.