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He had previously been held at Guayaquil Regional Prison where he was serving a 34-year jail term for drug trafficking. His disappearance was not immediately noticed when army officers turned up to move him to a more secure jail and found his cell empty. It is not clear how he was able to escape.
The Ecuadorian military discovered Macías in a small hole under a kitchen counter in what looked like a basement. He was arrested on video surrendering at gunpoint and saying his full name. His arrest was reported coming days after another gang leader, Federico Gómez, alias Fede, a leader of the group Las Aguilas was also confirmed to have escaped from prison.
U.S. Charges and Criminal Group
Macías and a co-defendant are charged in a seven-count indictment unsealed in Brooklyn with distributing cocaine globally, conspiring to do so and smuggling firearms, according to a joint statement of the indictment. The U.S. has called Los Choneros one of the most violent gangs, and it has deep links to Mexican drug cartels.
The group is responsible for transporting multi-ton shipments of cocaine from South America through Central America and Mexico to the U.S.
The indictment also accuses Los Choneros of shipping arms and ammunition from the United States to Ecuador through intermediaries they had hired. Macías has a prior criminal record for murder and organized crime. In 2023, he grabbed the front pages from prison after a video of him with armed men was shared, and he held parties with access to alcohol and cockfighting.
Gang Power and State Response
Los Choneros has been a major influence in Ecuador's world of crime for years. Ecuadorian officials labelled them a terrorist organization for their bloody tactics and operations. Both the U.S. and Ecuador concede that the group is connected to larger international crime rings.
The reward the Ecuadorian government offered for Macías's capture earlier this month, $1 million, indicated the priority to capture him. The recapture is a major break for Ecuador in its battle against organized crime, especially as the nation struggles with an increase in gang violence and prison breaks.
