Colombian authorities have arrested the wife and daughter of José Adolfo Macías Villamar, popularly known as “Fito,”one of Ecuador’s most prominent drug-trafficking figures and leader of the Los Choneros gang. The two women were arrested in Sabana de Torres, northeastern Colombia, in an operation involving Colombian police, the FBI and Ecuadorian authorities. 

The suspects were identified as Inda Mariela Penarrieta Tuarez, Fito’s wife, and his daughter, Michelle Jamileth Macias Penarrieta. Ecuadorian authorities are seeking the two women over alleged money laundering involving more than $25 million. Authorities allege that shell companies were used to launder funds connected to Los Choneros.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella confirmed the arrests and said the women would be sent to Ecuador to face the country’s justice system. The arrests followed cooperation between Colombian and Ecuadorian authorities, with support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Fito, who leads Los Choneros, escaped from a prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in January 2024, an incident that was followed by a major security crisis and violent unrest in the country. He was later recaptured and extradited to the United States, where he faces charges including drug trafficking and arms trafficking.

Fito had been serving a 34-year prison sentence in Ecuador for offences including organised crime, drug trafficking and murder before his escape. He is now facing federal charges in the United States that could result in lengthy imprisonment if convicted.

Los Choneros has been described as one of Ecuador’s major criminal organisations and has links with Mexican drug-trafficking networks. The group has been involved in battles over control of ports and trafficking routes as Ecuador has become an important transit point for cocaine produced in neighbouring Colombia and Peru.