lThe Ecuadorian police captured this Thursday the partner of Adolfo Macías, alias
Fito, the leader of a criminal gang dedicated to drug trafficking who escaped from prison in January, unleashing a wave of violence in the country.
In an operation carried out at dawn on the coasts provinces of Guayas and Manabí, drug trafficking operation centersthe uniformed officers captured the sentimental couple alias ‘Fito’ and alias ‘Mongolo’, considered an Intermediate Value Target”, who planned the crimes and coordinated the economic transactions of the organization, the police said in their account on the social network X.
Among the 21 detained in the raids is “Verónica BZ, who would be the romantic partner of Macías and Adrián S., alias Mongolo, alleged leader of Los Choneros,” the Prosecutor’s Office also stated in X.
In January, Macías’s wife, Inda Peñarrieta, 48, along with their three children, ages 21, 12, and 4, were expelled from Argentina, where they had arrived days before Fito’s escape.
Macías escaped from a Guayaquil prison on January 8, which triggered days of violence in Ecuador that included prison riots, attacks against the press, car bomb detonations and the temporary detention of some 200 prison guards.
Fito, who has not been recaptured, was imprisoned since 2011, sentenced to 34 years in prison for organized crime, drug trafficking and murder.
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Given the onslaught of drug traffickers at the beginning of the year, President Daniel Noboa declared the internal armed conflict and ordered the Armed Forces to defeat twenty groups considered “terrorists” and “belligerents.”
Last week, the president declared a new state of exception for 60 days in seven of the country’s 24 provinces, including Guayas and Manabí, due to an upsurge in violence.
Ecuador, located between Colombia and Peru – the world’s largest producers of cocaine -, years ago stopped being an island of peace to become a strategic point for drug groups.
According to the media, the murders occurred since Saturday in the cities of Manta, Montecristi and Jaramijó, but the motivations are still unknown.
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The Primicias portal indicated that two men were murdered on Jaramijó beach on Sunday, adding to the seven violent deaths in less than 24 hours in the Manta district, which includes Montecristi and Jaramijó.
The attack occurred while a mass was being celebrated in honor of a fisherman, who was murdered in El Salvador, during an operation against drug trafficking.
The other five crimes occurred between Saturday afternoon and evening.
According to Primicias, Among the victims is Antonio Macías, uncle of the capo José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias ‘Fito’, leader of the ‘Los Choneros’ gang.who is a fugitive.
With these cases, the Manta district already exceeds 150 violent deaths so far in 2024
Xavier Rosero, police commander in zone 4, said that “a property was located that, through confidential information, was determined to be used by alleged members of the terrorist organization ‘Los Lobos’.”
With these cases, the Manta district already exceeds 150 violent deaths so far in 2024, the portal noted, recalling that Manabí is currently under a state of emergency.
*With information from EFE and AFP
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