QUITO, Ecuador -- Ever since Ecuador's astir notorious pack person vanished from his situation compartment successful January 2024, authorities person been searching the world, offering a $1 cardinal reward for accusation starring to the seizure of Adolfo Macías, alias “Fito."
It turned retired the country’s astir wanted antheral was hiding retired astatine a household member’s mansion successful his ain hometown.
Ecuadorian information forces recaptured the kingpin Wednesday astatine an underground bunker beneath a marble-walled location successful the larboard metropolis of Manta, immoderate 260 kilometers (161 miles) southwest of the superior of Quito.
In a remarks to reporters Thursday, authorities revealed further details astir their efforts to find Macías and the hiding spot wherever helium spent his last weeks arsenic a fugitive.
Authorities had issued an planetary apprehension warrant for Macías, who was serving a 34-year situation condemnation for cause trafficking, organized transgression and execution successful a Guayaquil situation earlier his daze escape. Macías is besides wanted by the United States connected accusations of trafficking drugs and smuggling weapons.
A period ago, authorities closed successful connected the cause trafficker's family, arresting respective of his relatives, seizing their assets and raiding their businesses. Interior Minister John Reimberg described the crackdown connected Macías’ household arsenic a “psychological operation” important to information forces' efforts to find the notorious person of Ecuador's “Los Choneros" gang.
“It contributes to a person's conflict, their nonaccomplishment of control,” helium said successful a property league Thursday.
But what enactment Ecuadorian quality connected his way was the antithetic behaviour of a municipal transit authoritative successful Manta, who stopped showing up to enactment respective months ago. Surveilling the authoritative led quality services to Macías' interior circle, according to Víctor Ordóñez, a nationalist constabulary commander.
Authorities discovered that this authoritative frequented a swanky three-story gathering equipped with an indoor pool, well-appointed gym and crippled country and outfitted with gleaming marble floors and walls.
Furniture was wrapped successful integrative and level surface TVs were inactive successful their boxes. All implicit the location were statues of Saint Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes venerated by Mexican cause traffickers. Los Choneros is believed to person been 1 of the archetypal from Ecuador to forge ties with Mexican cause cartels.
Ordóñez besides said that authorities received last confirmation that Macías would beryllium successful the location astatine the clip of the 10-hourlong raid from his young daughter.
In the predawn acheronian Wednesday, hundreds of heavy equipped soldiers and information officers stormed the mansion and blocked disconnected the surrounding streets. But Macías was obscurity to beryllium found.
Security forces flew drones overhead and noticed that the onshore astir the location appeared uneven, with suspiciously altered vegetation that suggested infrastructure and imaginable ventilation beneath the surface.
The fugitive was hunkered down successful an air-conditioned bunker that could lone beryllium accessed done a tiny hatch, its entranceway concealed by a cement and tile level successful the laundry country and openable lone from the inside.
Police brought successful dense machinery to commencement excavating, and erstwhile the extortion supra his caput began to cave successful Macías recognized that seizure was inevitable, Minister Reimberg said. The alternate was being crushed to death.
“When this happened, Fito panicked,” helium said. “He opened the hatch wherever subject and constabulary unit were located and near the hole.”
Within moments, Ecuador's astir almighty cause lord was writhing connected the crushed with a weapon pointed astatine his head, forced to repetition his afloat sanction retired loud.
Shirtless and with an unkempt beard, a haggard “Fito” was shepherded extracurricular by a squad of officers and brought to the country’s highest-security prison, known arsenic La Roca, oregon the Rock, successful Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city.
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa announced aft the seizure that the Macías would beryllium extradited to the U.S. to look prosecution. He was indicted successful New York City successful April connected charges of importing and distributing thousands of pounds of cocaine successful the U.S.
“We person done our part,” Reimberg said. “I expect the U.S. extradition petition to get successful the adjacent fewer hours oregon astatine astir the adjacent fewer days."
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