Latest news with #JoséAdolfoMacíasVillamar
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Watch as fugitive drug lord Fito ‘The Lion' is found in trapdoor lair after daughter, 3, accidentally revealed hideout
WATCH the moment Ecuador's most-wanted fugitive, a drug lord dubbed "The Lion", is recaptured by police beneath a trap door. José Adolfo Macías Villamar, known as Fito, had been on the run for a year-and-a-half after busting out of prison in January 2024, when his escape sparked Advertisement 7 José Adolfo Macías Villamar, known as Fito, was recaptured after a year-and-a-half on the run Credit: Jam Press/@EjercitoECU 7 The fugitive was held on the floor at gunpoint and tied up 7 Fito was found hiding in an air-conditioned bunker beneath the floor of a kitchen Footage of Wednesday's arrest shows Fito pinned to the ground on his front surrounded by a swarm of heavily-armed cops. He calmly repeats his name at the orders of officers who bind his hands with cable ties and aim a pistol at his head. Another clip shows where the narco kingpin was discovered hiding. A huge slab of false floor slides back to reveal a hidden chamber extending through the house's foundations. Advertisement read more in world news Cops filmed themselves lowering into the cramped space and showed off the tight air-conditioned bunker which had concealed him. Fito was finally cuffed at the luxury home of his girlfriend, who is in jail, after a slip-up from his three-year-old daughter gave away his location. Before escaping, the convict had been serving a 34-year sentence for organised crime, drug trafficking and murder. His jailbreak sparked a surge in gang violence across Mexico which left at least 20 people dead. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun The country's president, Daniel Noboa, declared a 60-day state of emergency in multiple provinces following the escalation. Fito evaded the authorities for eighteen months, despite a massive-scale operation to pin him down. Ecuadorian police bring end to terrifying live TV hijack and arrest several suspects Several members of his family were arrested a month ago, and many of their assets were confiscated in raids as the authorities tightened the screw. John Reimberg, the country's interior minister, described the sting as a "psychological operation". Advertisement The trail to Fito began when it was noticed that a city transport official had stopped turning up to work - arousing suspicions. Tailing him led the police to Fito's inner circle, according to the national police commander. They noticed he frequently visited a swanky three-story building complete with a huge swimming pool, a fully-equipped gym and a games room. There were reportedly brand new sofas still wrapped in plastic and TVs still in their boxes. Advertisement 7 The bunker was concealed beneath the kitchen of a plush three-storey apartment Credit: Jam Press/@EjercitoECU 7 Tanks took to the streets when the President declared a 60-day state of emergency after Fito's jailbreak last year 7 The drug kingpin is now threatened with extradition to the US But the clinching confirmation that Fito would be in the house at the time of the raid came from his young daughter, according to police commander Víctor Ordóñez. Advertisement In a ten-hour operation, a huge cordon was put in place in the surrounding streets and drones buzzed around the give cops a 360 view. After a fine-tooth search, Fito was finally snared in an air-conditioned bunker accessed through a trap door beneath the kitchen sink. When the teams brought in heavy excavation equipment, Fito realised he could be crushed to death and scarpered out. Reimberg said: "When this happened, Fito panicked. Advertisement "He opened the hatch where military and police personnel were located and left the hole." Within minutes, he was on the ground with guns pointed at his head and being forced to repeat his name out loud. He is now threatened with extradition to the US. 7 Fito will resume his 34-year sentence Credit: Jam Press/@EjercitoECU Advertisement
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Watch as fugitive drug lord Fito ‘The Lion' is found in trapdoor lair after daughter, 3, accidentally revealed hideout
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WATCH the moment Ecuador's most-wanted fugitive, a drug lord dubbed "The Lion", is recaptured by police beneath a trap door. José Adolfo Macías Villamar, known as Fito, had been on the run for a year-and-a-half after busting out of prison in January 2024, when his escape sparked a wave of violence in the country. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 José Adolfo Macías Villamar, known as Fito, was recaptured after a year-and-a-half on the run Credit: Jam Press/@EjercitoECU 7 The fugitive was held on the floor at gunpoint and tied up 7 Fito was found hiding in an air-conditioned bunker beneath the floor of a kitchen Footage of Wednesday's arrest shows Fito pinned to the ground on his front surrounded by a swarm of heavily-armed cops. He calmly repeats his name at the orders of officers who bind his hands with cable ties and aim a pistol at his head. Another clip shows where the narco kingpin was discovered hiding. A huge slab of false floor slides back to reveal a hidden chamber extending through the house's foundations. Cops filmed themselves lowering into the cramped space and showed off the tight air-conditioned bunker which had concealed him. Fito was finally cuffed at the luxury home of his girlfriend, who is in jail, after a slip-up from his three-year-old daughter gave away his location. Before escaping, the convict had been serving a 34-year sentence for organised crime, drug trafficking and murder. His jailbreak sparked a surge in gang violence across Mexico which left at least 20 people dead. The country's president, Daniel Noboa, declared a 60-day state of emergency in multiple provinces following the escalation. Fito evaded the authorities for eighteen months, despite a massive-scale operation to pin him down. Ecuadorian police bring end to terrifying live TV hijack and arrest several suspects Several members of his family were arrested a month ago, and many of their assets were confiscated in raids as the authorities tightened the screw. John Reimberg, the country's interior minister, described the sting as a "psychological operation". The trail to Fito began when it was noticed that a city transport official had stopped turning up to work - arousing suspicions. Tailing him led the police to Fito's inner circle, according to the national police commander. They noticed he frequently visited a swanky three-story building complete with a huge swimming pool, a fully-equipped gym and a games room. There were reportedly brand new sofas still wrapped in plastic and TVs still in their boxes. 7 The bunker was concealed beneath the kitchen of a plush three-storey apartment Credit: Jam Press/@EjercitoECU 7 Tanks took to the streets when the President declared a 60-day state of emergency after Fito's jailbreak last year 7 The drug kingpin is now threatened with extradition to the US But the clinching confirmation that Fito would be in the house at the time of the raid came from his young daughter, according to police commander Víctor Ordóñez. In a ten-hour operation, a huge cordon was put in place in the surrounding streets and drones buzzed around the give cops a 360 view. After a fine-tooth search, Fito was finally snared in an air-conditioned bunker accessed through a trap door beneath the kitchen sink. When the teams brought in heavy excavation equipment, Fito realised he could be crushed to death and scarpered out. Reimberg said: "When this happened, Fito panicked. "He opened the hatch where military and police personnel were located and left the hole." Within minutes, he was on the ground with guns pointed at his head and being forced to repeat his name out loud. He is now threatened with extradition to the US.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Fugitive leader of notorious Ecuador drug gang is indicted in U.S.
The leader of a violent Ecuadorian gang has been indicted in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. José Adolfo Macías Villamar — whose nickname is "Fito" — has led Los Choneros and its "network of assassins and drug and weapon traffickers" since at least 2020, U.S. Attorney John Durham said in a news release. "The defendant was a ruthless leader and prolific drug trafficker for a violent transnational criminal organization," he said. The seven-count indictment unsealed in Brooklyn charges Villamar and an unidentified co-defendant with international cocaine distribution, conspiracy and weapons counts, including smuggling firearms from the United States. Macias Villamar is not in U.S. custody, authorities said. In January 2024, he was discovered missing from his prison cell in Quito, Ecuador, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking. A 60-day state of emergency was declared after his escape, the BBC reported. Last year, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on the gang Los Choneros as well as Macias Villamar. Earlier this month, the Ecuadorian government announced that the reward for the capture of Macias Villamar would be increased to $1 million. Los Choneros is one of 20 criminal gangs declared "terrorist groups" by Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa, who has led a war on drug gangs blamed for a surge in violent crime in the once-peaceful South American country. Noboa declared a state of emergency and deployed troops in the streets and violence-riddled prisons, resulting in a slight dip in homicide rates in 2024 from the previous year. The president took action last year after gunmen stormed and opened fire in a TV studio and bandits threatened random executions of civilians and security forces. A prosecutor investigating the assault was later shot dead. Earlier this year, a leader of one of Ecuador's biggest crime syndicates, Los Lobos, was arrested at his home in the coastal city of Portoviejo. The U.S. last year declared Los Lobos to be the largest drug trafficking organization in Ecuador. Democratic-backed candidate wins record-breaking Wisconsin Supreme Court seat From the archives: Val Kilmer as Mark Twain Eric Adams reacts to judge dismissing corruption case with prejudice
CBS News
02-04-2025
- CBS News
Leader of notorious Ecuador drug gang who vanished from prison cell is indicted in U.S.
The leader of a violent Ecuadorian gang has been indicted in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. José Adolfo Macías Villamar — whose nickname is "Fito" — has led Los Choneros and its "network of assassins and drug and weapon traffickers" since at least 2020, U.S. Attorney John Durham said in a news release . "The defendant was a ruthless leader and prolific drug trafficker for a violent transnational criminal organization," he said. The seven-count indictment unsealed in Brooklyn charges Villamar and an unidentified co-defendant with international cocaine distribution, conspiracy and weapons counts, including smuggling firearms from the United States. Macias Villamar is not in U.S. custody, authorities said. In January 2024, he was discovered missing from his prison cell in Quito, Ecuador, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking. A 60-day state of emergency was declared after his escape, the BBC reported . Last year, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on the gang Los Choneros as well as Macias Villamar. Earlier this month, the Ecuadorian government announced that the reward for the capture of Macias Villamar would be increased to $1 million. Los Choneros is one of 20 criminal gangs declared "terrorist groups" by Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa, who has led a war on drug gangs blamed for a surge in violent crime in the once-peaceful South American country. Noboa declared a state of emergency and deployed troops in the streets and violence-riddled prisons, resulting in a slight dip in homicide rates in 2024 from the previous year. The president took action last year after gunmen stormed and opened fire in a TV studio and bandits threatened random executions of civilians and security forces. A prosecutor investigating the assault was later shot dead . Earlier this year, a leader of one of Ecuador's biggest crime syndicates, Los Lobos, was arrested at his home in the coastal city of Portoviejo. The U.S. last year declared Los Lobos to be the largest drug trafficking organization in Ecuador.
Washington Post
02-04-2025
- Washington Post
Fugitive leader of violent Ecuadorian drug gang is indicted in New York City
NEW YORK — The fugitive leader of a violent Ecuadorian gang that relied on hitmen, bribes and military weapons to do business has been indicted in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States, authorities said Wednesday. José Adolfo Macías Villamar escaped from a prison in Ecuador last year and is not in U.S. custody, federal prosecutors said. He led Los Choneros and its 'network of assassins and drug and weapon traffickers' since at least 2020.
