Who is Ecuador's ‘most dangerous gang leader?’

On Monday, Ecuador declared a state of emergency after one of the "most dangerous gang leaders" reportedly disappeared from jail, resulting in riots in several correctional facilities across the South American nation.

Authorities believe the most likely scenario is that the 44-year-old criminal leader, Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, alias 'Fito', fled before a planned police operation in the prison where he was being held.

The State of Ecuador has pledged to step up security following what government spokesman Roberto Izurieta has called "this extremely dangerous individual" and what experts point out as being an allegedly high level of "infiltration" of criminal groups in the country.

Detained since 2011, "Fito" is said to lead one of the most prominent criminal gangs - 'Los Choneros' which emerged in Ecuador's Western province of Manabí in the late 1990s.

Following a clampdown by authorities, the Choneros involvement is believed to have grown organically from within the prison.

Since 2011, they have been cementing themselves as a strong organisation with a footprint across the prison system.

Their criminal enterprise today is said to include a range of illicit activities, including trafficking, contract killings and extortion.

Like other organised criminal groups in the region, fractions have emerged amid infighting in the wider organisation.

In 2019, the group once again came to the fore amid heightened violence in prisons. Then President Lenin Moreno declared a crisis in the prison system, leading to the army being mobilised.

In February 2021, widespread coordinated attacks took place across three prisons with members of a Choneros splinter group reportedly going after Los Choneros. The incident led to some 75 members dead in the largest prison violence in Ecuadorian history.

Today, the group's business empire is said to centre on narcotic activity, largely cocaine trafficking.

The Choneros' are also said to have alleged ties to Colombian and Mexican drug cartels and to control trafficking routes through Latin America into the US.

Criminal Leader Fito grew up in Ecuador's port city on the central coast, which is described as a "strategic location" for drug trafficking.

The Ecuadorian criminal boss has more than 10 cases against him for crimes including murder, robbery, organised crime and possession of weapons.

Fito is currently serving a 34-year prison sentence and has been in jail for more than 12 years.

According to reports, at this time, Fito has previously managed to escape from maximum security alongside 19 other prisoners. He was on the run for close to a year before placing him back in the same maximum-security prison.

In September last year, like other alleged drug barons, Fito followed a similar trajectory, becoming glorified in a traditional Spanish 'corrido' or narrative music ballad that unpacks Fito's life but crucially fails to mention his conviction by authorities.

The song “Lion’s Ballad” is regarded as Fito's bid to cement and popularise his legacy. It includes a popular musical duo singing alongside his daughter's appearance, who also sings.

As the song suggests, Fito, or the so-called "man of honour", appears in the video, allegedly partly shot in jail. At the same time, in the comment section, one Youtube viewer wrote, "When reality surpasses fiction."

Several years later, in March 2023, the death of Junior Roldan is believed to have been the only founding member of the Choneros left.

Fito's ascent to the leadership of Los Choneros followed the murder of group leader Rasquiña, whose death triggered a bloody power struggle and resulted in close to 300 prisoner deaths in 2021.

With many initial founders largely wiped out, Fito remains one of the country's most prominent mafia bosses or capos.

This year, in August, Fernando Villavicencio, a presidential candidate recognised for his push to eradicate corruption, was killed by an assassin who shot him three times in the head while getting into his car in the capital, Quito.

The country's chief Prosecutor said the suspect who carried out the attack was shot, injured and died in a confrontation with security forces.

Before his death, Villavicencio said he had received death threats from many people, including Mexican and Ecuador-organised criminal groups.

Villavicencio said he had received threats from Fito, insisting, "If I keep mentioning him and his structure, they will attack me or try to kill me."

Villavicencio filed a complaint with the Prosecutor's office, following recommendations from bodyguards that the state gave him after it was said he had a high percentage of being killed.

Later, in August 2023, Fito was transferred to maximum security in the city of Guayaquil in a bid to curb his influence. Some 3,600 members of security forces from the police and military participated in the operation to take Fito to maximum security.

President Daniel Noboa called a 60-day state of emergency - the first since he took charge of the county in November. The move allows the army to take charge of internal security, notably the prison system.

A curfew is expected from 11 pm until 5 am local time.