Ecuador has been experiencing an unprecedented internal crisis since the weekend, when the head of a large criminal faction involved in drug trafficking, the Choneros, escaped from prison and a series of attacks linked to organized crime set the country on fire, resulting in the death of at least 10 people, including two police officers, and a state of emergency decree lasting 60 days, announced by the president, Daniel Noboa.
The gang led by fugitive José Adolfo Macías, also known as “Fito”, emerged in the late 1990s, in the city of Chone, located in the province of Manabí, western Ecuador, and is considered one of the most consolidated criminal organizations in operations in the country, being strongly associated with the Sinaloa cartel, in Mexico, a major producer and distributor of cocaine throughout the world.
The founder of the group was Jorge Busmarck Véliz España, known by the nickname “Teniente España”, who began his criminal career as a small-time drug trafficker and saw the business growing as his career progressed. According to Think Tank Insight CrimeTeniente España expanded its territory and operations, eventually controlling international drug trafficking routes on the beaches of Manta, Ecuador, a Pacific coastal city in Manabí.
In the early 2000s, the Choneros gained greater visibility in organized crime when they clashed with rivals to maintain control over drug trafficking routes in the Pacific. At the time, the group's main competitor was the Queseros, who encouraged the use of violence by the Choneros, after conflicts between the parties culminated in the murder of Teniente España's wife, a crime orchestrated by the leader of the enemy group, Carlos Vera Cedeño.
Since then, the Choneros have been responsible for dozens of deaths of members of Los Queseros, including Cedeño. In 2007, España was killed in a confrontation with Los Queseros in Santo Domingo, in the province of Manabí.
The leader's death triggered a severe crisis in the criminal organization, which suffered a setback as police operations and murders carried out by rival gangs ousted several leaders who took over the faction.
Initially, when authorities began investigating the group decades ago, it was considered an armed wing of a Colombian drug cartel that controlled maritime narcotics trafficking routes from the Pacific to Mexico and the United States. Over the years, the arrests of the group's leaders transformed the penitentiary system into an important center for managing organized crime and recruiting members, giving space for greater autonomy for the gang within Ecuador.
This movement began with Jorge Luis Zambrano, known as “Rasquiña”, who took command of the Choneros after the death of Teniente España, beginning a decade of transition for the group with his arrest. As more gang members were arrested, Rasquiña issued orders even from behind bars, turning the Choneros into a prison gang, although the group also maintained its presence on the streets of Ecuador.
Since 2011, the Choneros have stood out as one of the most dangerous prison gangs in the country, maintaining thousands of members throughout Ecuador. It is estimated that, currently, around 12 thousand criminals are part of the organization. The group also has operations in several cities, where it is involved in microtrafficking, with contract killings, extortion and smuggling.
The Ecuadorian government's attempts to control the violence caused by criminal organizations in prisons give more and more impetus to the growth of the Choneros, who gain the loyalty and influence of other smaller factions. Despite this, a factor that has become an obstacle for the group is the leadership crisis, since different drug bosses have taken over organized crime, with many being eliminated by the police or enemies.
The series of internal disputes to take over the leadership of the organization has threatened the legacy of power of the faction, created more than a decade ago in the country. In 2021, the group became the target of an association of smaller gangs, including several of its former alliances, such as the Tiguerones and the Chone Killers.
In the last two years, the Choneros have also lost influence following the rise of the Lobos, who are currently the Ecuadorian gang's main competitor. The rival faction joined forces with other enemies in organized crime, the Tiguerones and the Chone Killers, taking control of drug trafficking routes that previously belonged to the Choneros.
Most of the founders of the Choneros were exterminated, such as Jorge Luis Zambrano, “Rasquiña”, murdered in December 2020, and Junior Roldán, or “JR”, killed in May 2023. Today, the criminal organization is led by José Adolfo Macías Villamar, “Fito”, who was also part of the group from the beginning.
He remains one of Ecuador's most prominent gangsters, despite his arrest more than a decade ago, managing drug trafficking from prison in Guayaquil, from where he escaped last Sunday (7). There is no clear information on who is currently leading the group from outside the prison.
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