Drug boss Fito after a spectacular escape - daughter reveals hiding place!

Drug boss Fito after a spectacular escape - daughter reveals hiding place!

The arrest of one of the largest drug bosses in Ecuador, José Adolfo Macías Villamar, better known as "Fito", marks a significant moment in the country's current drug war. Fito, who had been sentenced to 34 years in prison for drug trade and money laundering since 2011, escaped from a high -security prison in Guayaquil in early January 2024. This incident, which was accompanied by internal conflicts and violence in the Ecuadorian prisons, led to the escalation of violence in the country. Exxpress reports that the circumstances of his escape were undermined when there were violent arguments between rival gangs, in which supervisors were taken as hostage.

Violence in Ecuador has increased dramatically in recent years, which is reflected in an increase in the murder rate. According to ZDF there was over 8,000 fatalities in the drug war in 2023 alone, and the murder rate rose 82 % in 2022. Fito, who had already fled in 2013, is now on the run again, and the participation of the Choneros, one of the most powerful drug gangs in the country, is of central importance.

the choneros and its power

The Choneros, under the leadership of Fito's predecessor and murder victim Jorge Luis Zambrano González, also known as "Rasquiña", developed into one of the most dominant groups in drug trafficking in Ecuador from the 1990s. As Insight Crime , the gait in the top controlled drug trafficking, extortion and order murders. Their activities stretched over several provinces and they squeezed with powerful drug dealers like Washington Prado Alava, alias "Gerald".

After the murder of Rasquiña in 2020, internal tensions in the group appeared, which impairs the power structure of the Choneros. This opened new competitors such as the "R7" course. This situation meant that the Choneros were involved in a bloody gang war with other groups such as Los Lobos, which were able to build a significant rivalry in drug trafficking.

The state and the fight against drugs

The country's prisons are overcrowded and are used as centers for drug trafficking and criminal activities. While the government orders emergency decrees and army inserts, the tourism sector also suffers greatly from the continuing violence, with massive cancellations of up to 90 % in affected people. Economically, banana export seems to remain stable, while cocaine is often smuggled to Europe in banana boxes.

The continuing conflicts and drug trafficking also raise serious environmental issues, since smuggler ships use the Galapagos Islands as a tank stop and thus the sensitive ecosystems of the region are endangered. The complex and violent reality in Ecuador demands a sustainable solution, while the communities suffer from the constant pressure of drug crime.