Ecuadorian gang leader Fito's wife and daughter were detained in Colombia

Colombian police announced that the wife and daughter of Ecuadorian crime organization leader José Adolfo Macías Villamar were detained in the city of Sabana de Torres in the northeastern part of the country.

It was reported that Colombian and Ecuadorian security units, as well as the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), supported the operation organized to capture the wife and daughter of Macías Villamar, known as "Fito".

Colombian authorities stated that the two women were wanted in Ecuador on money laundering-related charges and that there was an international arrest warrant for them.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said in a statement on his social media account that his country will not be a "safe haven" for the financial activities of international criminal organizations.

De la Espriella announced that the two detained women would be handed over to the Ecuadorian judicial authorities.

"FITO'S ESCAPE DRIVED ECUADOR INTO CRISIS

Los Choneros' leader, "Fito", escaped from prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador in January 2024.

After the escape, there was a serious security crisis in the country and the government declared a state of emergency. Many people lost their lives during the riots in prisons and armed conflicts in the streets.

One of the most striking events of the crisis was when armed gang members raided a television channel in Guayaquil during a live broadcast.

Macías Villamar was recaptured last year and subsequently extradited to the United States.

US authorities accuse “Fito” of organizing the smuggling of large amounts of cocaine into the country.

Los Choneros, which he leads, is defined as a "terrorist organization" by the US State Department.

VIOLENCE IS INCREASING IN ECUADOR

Despite the security forces' operations against criminal organizations in Ecuador, violence related to drug trafficking continues.

The country's murder rate has increased nearly fivefold since 2020. Last year recorded nearly 50 murders per 100,000 people, one of the highest levels in Ecuador's modern history, according to Interior Ministry data.

President Daniel Noboa's harsh security policies against criminal organizations have drawn criticism from human rights organizations.

Criticism focuses especially on allegations that security forces caused rights violations in some operations. The deaths of four children aged between 11 and 15 in 2024 were among the cases that aroused public debate.

Noboa was re-elected president for a four-year term in elections held last year, despite criticism over the security crisis. The problem of crime and security in the country was one of the main agenda topics of the election process.