Ecuadorian police have reportedly launched a major manhunt following the disappearance of a detainee described by prosecutors as “the most wanted prisoner” at a Guayaquil compound.
Jose Adolfo Macias, known by the pseudonym “Fito” and leader of the Los Choneros criminal organization, is serving a 34-year sentence for crimes including drug trafficking and murder, according to Reuters.
Fernando Villavicencio, an Ecuadorian presidential candidate who was killed in August last year following a rally in the country’s capital of Quito, had accused Los Choneros and Macías, whom he linked to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, of threatening him and his campaign team days before the assassination.
Prosecutors would investigate Macias’ “alleged escape” from the Guayaquil prison, Reuters reported.
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Ecuadorian arrives at the Zone 8 prison for an inspection in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on Sunday, January 7. (Reuters/Vicente Gaibor del Pino)
“We appreciate the courage and commitment of the security forces who, in an operation that involved more than 3,000 people, intervened in the criminal in search of the maximum wanted criminal,” presidential spokesman Roberto Izurieta said at a press conference. on Sunday.
The Choneros are linked to extortion, homicide and drug trafficking crimes in Ecuador and have been accused of controlling some of the country’s prisons, Reuters added.
Images captured Sunday at the Zone 8 prison showed Ecuadorian infantrymen carrying rifles as they arrived for an inspection of the complex.
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On Sunday, police officers stood guard outside the Zone 8 prison. (Reuters/Vicente Gaibor del Pino)
Villavicencio received at least 3 death threats before the fatal shooting, his crusade leader last August.
Patricio Zuquilanda told the Associated Press at the time that the threats against Villavicencio, who said during his final speech that he would fight corruption and imprison more criminals, resulted in one detention after they were reported to authorities.
Inmates hold a banner reading “Fito is not political booty” at the Zone 8 prison in August 2023 after Jose Adolfo Macias was transferred to the facility. (Vicente Gaibor del Pino)
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“Here I show my face. I’m not afraid of them,” Villavicencio said in a statement before his death, referring to Macias through his pseudonym “Fito. “
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.