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CNN
17 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
How authorities found a drug kingpin's luxurious hideout in Ecuador
Ecuadorian forces have revealed how they captured the country's most-wanted man, drug lord Adolfo 'Fito' Macías, more than a year after his brazen prison escape prompted the president to declare an internal armed conflict to crack down on the country's most violent gangs. After an almost 18-month manhunt for the leader of the criminal group Los Choneros, the Ecuadorian Security Bloc made a breakthrough on June 25. They obtained intelligence that alerted them to a luxurious home in the province of Manabí, the gang's longtime stronghold for drug operations. Authorities immediately traveled to the area and launched a 10-hour operation to try to find and capture the notorious gangster. To prevent the raid from being thwarted, the military and police shut down access within a 15-block radius so no one could enter or leave the site. Special teams from the armed forces eventually entered the property to gather more information and take control of the house. It was a fully equipped villa, featuring a pool, a gym, appliances, a game room, marble-like walls, and features that indicated the property was still under construction. In one area of the house, there was a perfectly camouflaged hole in the floor, containing a bunker with hidden access and air conditioning. 'Police and armed forces on the scene began conducting a search with instruments to see where alias 'Fito' was hiding,' Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg said. A surveillance flight had identified an irregular crop field behind the house, so authorities requested the use of excavators to locate the drug lord. 'They started to excavate. As soon as this happened, Fito panicked because if we continued, the roof of his bunker would collapse. At that moment, he opened the hatch, where the military was already located, and climbed out of the hole where he was hiding. That's how we detained him,' Reimberg said. Soldiers pinned Macías to the ground, pointed weapons at him and ordered him to say his full name out loud. 'Adolfo Macías Villamar,' he said while lying on the floor with his hands behind his back, footage from the army showed. After the operation, authorities arrested Macías, along with four other men identified as part of his security detail. Macías was immediately transferred to the Manta Air Base and then to the Guayaquil Air Base. From there, he was taken to the maximum-security La Roca prison, located in the Guayaquil prison complex, behind La Regional prison, from where he escaped in January 2024. A photo later released by the interior ministry showed the drug lord locked inside his cell. President Daniel Noboa said Ecuador is working to extradite him to the United States – where he faces drugs and weapons charges – and is awaiting a response from American officials. Macías is one of Ecuador's most notorious gangsters and is the only founding member of Los Choneros believed to still be alive. In 2011 he was sentenced 'for a string of crimes, including homicides and narcotics trafficking,' according to think tank Insight Crime, but sprung out of jail in February 2013 before being recaptured months later. Little is known about his life prior to crime, but he gained a reputation for being the gang's money laundering expert while incarcerated for over a decade. Before he fled prison in 2024, the government was planning on moving Macías to a higher-security facility. Noboa's press secretary told a local channel that the news had likely reached Macías and prompted him to make his escape.
CNN
18 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
How authorities found a drug kingpin's luxurious hideout in Ecuador
Ecuadorian forces have revealed how they captured the country's most-wanted man, drug lord Adolfo 'Fito' Macías, more than a year after his brazen prison escape prompted the president to declare an internal armed conflict to crack down on the country's most violent gangs. After an almost 18-month manhunt for the leader of the criminal group Los Choneros, the Ecuadorian Security Bloc made a breakthrough on June 25. They obtained intelligence that alerted them to a luxurious home in the province of Manabí, the gang's longtime stronghold for drug operations. Authorities immediately traveled to the area and launched a 10-hour operation to try to find and capture the notorious gangster. To prevent the raid from being thwarted, the military and police shut down access within a 15-block radius so no one could enter or leave the site. Special teams from the armed forces eventually entered the property to gather more information and take control of the house. It was a fully equipped villa, featuring a pool, a gym, appliances, a game room, marble-like walls, and features that indicated the property was still under construction. In one area of the house, there was a perfectly camouflaged hole in the floor, containing a bunker with hidden access and air conditioning. 'Police and armed forces on the scene began conducting a search with instruments to see where alias 'Fito' was hiding,' Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg said. A surveillance flight had identified an irregular crop field behind the house, so authorities requested the use of excavators to locate the drug lord. 'They started to excavate. As soon as this happened, Fito panicked because if we continued, the roof of his bunker would collapse. At that moment, he opened the hatch, where the military was already located, and climbed out of the hole where he was hiding. That's how we detained him,' Reimberg said. Soldiers pinned Macías to the ground, pointed weapons at him and ordered him to say his full name out loud. 'Adolfo Macías Villamar,' he said while lying on the floor with his hands behind his back, footage from the army showed. After the operation, authorities arrested Macías, along with four other men identified as part of his security detail. Macías was immediately transferred to the Manta Air Base and then to the Guayaquil Air Base. From there, he was taken to the maximum-security La Roca prison, located in the Guayaquil prison complex, behind La Regional prison, from where he escaped in January 2024. A photo later released by the interior ministry showed the drug lord locked inside his cell. President Daniel Noboa said Ecuador is working to extradite him to the United States – where he faces drugs and weapons charges – and is awaiting a response from American officials. Macías is one of Ecuador's most notorious gangsters and is the only founding member of Los Choneros believed to still be alive. In 2011 he was sentenced 'for a string of crimes, including homicides and narcotics trafficking,' according to think tank Insight Crime, but sprung out of jail in February 2013 before being recaptured months later. Little is known about his life prior to crime, but he gained a reputation for being the gang's money laundering expert while incarcerated for over a decade. Before he fled prison in 2024, the government was planning on moving Macías to a higher-security facility. Noboa's press secretary told a local channel that the news had likely reached Macías and prompted him to make his escape.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Kenyan minister caught urging police to shoot protesters
Kenyan minister caught urging police to shoot protesters NewsFeed enya's Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen has been caught on video appearing to authorise police to shoot protesters. Murkomen made the comments after at least 16 people were killed during protests over police brutality on Wednesday. Video Duration 00 minutes 39 seconds 00:39 Video Duration 01 minutes 49 seconds 01:49 Video Duration 00 minutes 39 seconds 00:39 Video Duration 02 minutes 43 seconds 02:43 Video Duration 02 minutes 39 seconds 02:39 Video Duration 02 minutes 20 seconds 02:20 Video Duration 02 minutes 33 seconds 02:33
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Cases in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania raise fear of regional trend
Kenya has been hit by a recent wave of repression, tarnishing its reputation as a beacon of democracy in East Africa. Critics fear that it is sliding down the path of her neighbours - Uganda and Tanzania, both of which are notorious for cracking down on dissent. Kenya's laws are widely regarded as being more progressive - particularly in protecting fundamental freedoms like the right to Kenya has witnessed an increasing crackdown on protests - the latest example being the killing of at least 10 people in nationwide demonstrations against President William Ruto's government while it attempted to ban live TV and radio coverage of the protests."Rogue Regime" - declared the headline of Kenya's respected Standard newspaper as it pointed out that young people had flooded the streets in defiant remembrance of those gunned down a year ago in mass anti-tax demonstrations but "Instead of a listening ear they were met with razor wire, armoured trucks and the cold grip of repression". But as far as Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen is concerned, the police showed "remarkable restraint" as they foiled an "attempted coup"."We condemn the criminal anarchists who in the name of peaceful demonstrations unleashed a wave of violence, looting, sexual assault and destruction upon our people," he said, accusing the protesters of attacking police stations and injuring 300 the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) condemned the police for their handling of the protest. "The unnecessary aggression and brute force that culminated in the senseless loss of life and senseless destruction of property have no place in a free democratic society," it said. The crackdown came just weeks after a 31-year-old blogger and teacher, Albert Ojwang, died in police custody. He was arrested after being accused of defaming a senior police officer - and died in detention of assault wounds, an autopsy found. His death triggered a small protest in the capital, Nairobi, which police clamped down on and a street vendor, who was caught in the crossfire - shot at close-range, is fighting for his life in hospital. The LSK denounced his shooting as unbefitting for "any sane democracy". Its comment brought into sharp focus the fact that Kenya risks losing its status as a democracy that many Tanzanians and Ugandans envied – and drew inspiration political analyst Nicodemus Minde said there had long been an "appreciation" among Tanzanians of the ability of Kenyans to "speak truth to power". It was a view shared by Tanzania's main opposition leader Tundu Lissu who told the BBC last year that "We have not pressed hard enough for democratic reform". "What Kenya did to build its democratic space is something we need to do," he said. Having miraculously survived an assassination attempt after being shot 16 times in 2017, Lissu has become a symbol of state repression in Tanzania. He is currently in detention, charged with treason for rallying his supporters under the slogan "No reform; no elections". The government saw this as an attempt by Lissu to launch a rebellion – and he risks being sentenced to death if 57-year-old opposition leader sees his detention as an attempt by the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party – which has been in power since independence in 1961– to clear its path to victory in presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for October. This perception has been strengthened by the fact that his Chadema party has been barred from contesting the poll after it refused to sign an electoral code of conduct that it believed would undermine its right to campaign freely. The opposition in Uganda sees itself in a similar situation, pointing out that President Yoweri Museveni has been in power for almost 40 years, and – along with his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who heads the army – is cracking down on political rivals in the build-up to elections in early 2026. Ugandan opposition politician Kizza Besigye has been in detention since November, with the government wanting to try him for treason in a military court after accusing him of plotting to overthrow the government – a charge he denies. Although Kenya has an independent judiciary and holds regular elections that lead to power changing hands, Martha Karua – one of the country's most respected human rights lawyers, a former justice minister and the leader of a small opposition party – believes that democracy is under threat in all three East African states."We are staring at a regional crisis – not at an economic crisis, not a crisis of trade, but of democracy itself," she said at a recent press conference. Activists like her are alarmed by the fact that more than 80 Kenyans have been abducted in the past year by people who never identified themselves, raising fears that this was the government's latest strategy to crush dissent after the protests over moves to increase taxes amidst a cost-of-living is also mounting evidence that Kenya is no longer a safe haven for Ugandans and Tanzanians, with security agencies from the three states apparently colluding to crack down on the was in Nairobi for a book launch in November, when he vanished - only to surface four days later in a military court in government in Uganda accused him of trying to negotiate an arms deal in Kenya to launch a rebellion back home and said he had been arrested in a cross-border operation carried out with the knowledge of Kenya's intelligence services. Kenya's government initially denied this, saying it was unaware of the Ugandan operation on its soil, although Kenya's foreign minister recently told local media that "there were certain issues" about Besigye's visit in Kenya and "he had to go". He did not elaborate. About two months after Besigye's ordeal, exiled Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai said she was abducted by armed men in Nairobi who then, luckily for her, released her several hours Tsehai said she was manhandled and choked by four assailants who forced her into a vehicle."I am sure that the reason for the abduction was to get access to my social media and [because of] the whistleblowing job that I do," she said, as her abductors kept asking how to unlock her Tsehai is a staunch critic of Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and has accused her government of bringing "tyranny back" to the country, despite promising reforms when she took office in 2021 following the death of her authoritarian predecessor, John said that despite the "backsliding" of democracy and human rights in East Africa, there was little concern about this internationally, with the African Union "silent", the United Nations offering "rhetoric - not redress", while the US - "a self-declared champion of liberty" - was facing its "own issues of liberty" under the administration of President Donald Trump. Tanzania deported Karua and two Kenyan activists when they flew into the country in May to show solidarity with Lissu, while Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan lawyer Agather Atuhaire were detained after being allowed to enter. Following their release, both accused the Tanzanian police of sexually abusing them. Tanzania's police denied the accusation, however amidst the outcry over the detention and deportation of foreign activists, President Samia issued a stark warning."If they have been contained in their country, let them not come here to meddle. Let's not give them a chance. They have already created chaos in their own country," she the dismay of activists, Kenya's President Ruto failed to condemn the alleged abuse and instead, apologised to the Tanzanian government."To our neighbours from Tanzania, if we have wronged you in any way, forgive us," he said."If there is anything that Kenyans have done that is not right, we want to apologise."Macharia Munene, a Kenyan professor in international relations, told the BBC that Ruto's apology stemmed from his "perceived failure to keep people [Kenyans] in check". He added that the Tanzanian government had become "jittery" of the potential influence of Kenyan activists on the October elections, with Ruto's government under pressure to "contain troublemakers". For Kenyan activists the worsening repression in the three states has merely strengthened their resolve to fight Mwangi, one of Kenya's most prominent human rights campaigners, summed it up by saying: "If these people are united in oppressing their citizens, then we must be united in fighting to remove them from power." You may also be interested in: 'We live in fear' - forced expulsions taint Kenya's safe haven imageBBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protestersCould this be the end of the road for Tanzania's great survivor, Tundu Lissu?Why Kenya's president has so many nicknamesUganda's Yoweri Museveni: How an ex-rebel has stayed in power for 35 year Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Kenya protests: Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen describes demonstrations as 'coup attempt'
Kenya's Interior minister has denied that the police used excessive force during Wednesday's protests in which at least 10 people were killed, describing them as "terrorism disguised as dissent" and an "unconstitutional attempt" to change the Murkomen thanked security agencies for their "remarkable restraint amid extreme provocation" crediting them with helping to "foil an attempted coup."In addition to the deaths, more than 400 others were injured, including about 300 police officers."We condemn the criminal anarchists who in the name of peaceful demonstrations unleashed a wave of violence, looting, sexual assault, and destruction upon our people," he said. Key government installations and offices were targeted in the protests, he added, with nine police stations attacked, five of which were torched - and five guns of vehicles, belonging to the police, government and civilians, were destroyed, he said that investigations were under way into the exact number of casualties and the circumstances around the the death of a blogger has put Kenya's police on trialBBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protestersThousands took to the streets across the country on Wednesday against President William Ruto's government, and to demand an end to police police clashed with protesters in the capital, Nairobi, and other cities to commemorate the first anniversary of a previous wave of deadly anti-government demonstrations that hit the nation in of those demonstrating chanted "Ruto must go" and waved branches as a symbol of peaceful opposition to his government banned live TV and radio coverage of the protests, although its decree was overturned by the Nairobi High Court. The government has since lifted the groups have condemned the actions of the police and Law Society of Kenya said there had been "unnecessary aggression and brute force" by security officers, which it said had led to "senseless loss of life".On Wednesday, human rights groups said three police officers had been injured. More Kenya storied from the BBC: El Chapo & Deputy Jesus - why Kenya's president has so many nicknamesFour Kenyan police officers charged over baby's killing as others freedNew faces of protest - Kenya's Gen Z anti-tax revolutionaries Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
