June 26 (UPI) -- Ecuadorian authorities arrested the leader of the notorious Los Choneros drug gang after 18 months on the run following a prison break that unleashed a wave of violence across the Central American country, forcing President Daniel Noboa to declare a 60-day state of emergency.
In a post on X late Wednesday, Noboa said that the recapture of Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as "Fito," was vindication of controversial emergency powers granted to him by lawmakers last week and that he now wanted to hand Fito him over to the United States where he is wanted on cocaine trafficking charges.
"To those who opposed and doubted the need for the Solidarity and Intelligence laws: thanks to those laws, Fito was captured today and is in the hands of the Security Block. More will fall, we will reclaim the country. No truce. We have done our part to proceed with Fito's extradition to the United States, we are awaiting their response," said Noboa.
Fito, who is suspected of ordering the killing of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio ahead of elections in 2023, was pulled from a bunker hidden beneath an upscale villa in the coastal city of Manta following a stakeout by security forces.
