Jose Adolfo Macias, the head of the Los Choneros gang and Ecuador’s most wanted criminal, escaped from prison after being found guilty of murder and drug trafficking.
Under the pseudonym Fito, Macias was sentenced to 34 years in prison in 2011, according to Reuters.
According to reports, more than 3,000 law enforcement personnel are involved in the enormous manhunt that Ecuadorian police have initiated.
“We’re grateful for the courage and commitment of the law enforcement forces, who, in an operation involving more than 3,000 people, have intervened in the prison in search of the most-wanted prisoner,” presidential spokesman Roberto Izurieta said in a statement during the press conference.
Following a rally in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, in August of last year, Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated. Days prior to the assassination, Villavicencio had accused Los Choneros and Macias, whom he connected to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, of threatening him and his campaign team. Macias was then taken into custody.
Prior to the tragic incident, Villavicencio allegedly received at least three death threats, according to his campaign manager.
Three days after Villavicencio’s murder, Macias was transferred to a maximum-security institution.
The criminal organization Los Choneros has been linked to extortion, murder, and drug trafficking offenses in Ecuador. It has also been suspected of running some of the nation’s jails.
According to official statistics, since 2021, conflicts amongst detainees have resulted in over 400 deaths.
