Trump Effect Spreads as Ecuador Arrests Top Fugitive Drug Lord

The Trump effect appears to have spread to Ecuador as authorities there arrested one of their most significant, violent drug lords.

The arrest took place this week when Ecuadoran authorities, working in partnership with U.S. authorities, arrested Jose Adolfo “Fito” Macias, the leader of “Los Choneros” Cartel and a man considered to be one of the most powerful and violent drug lords in Ecuador. The arrest carried such significance that Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa himself made the announcement in a series of social media posts claiming that the capture was due to a series of laws he and his followers pushed, which called for a hardline approach to crime.

A video shared by Noboa showed the moment when Ecuadorian authorities found Macias hiding in a bunker. In the video, they claimed that the government does not negotiate with organized crime but fights it.

In subsequent posts, Noboa shared additional details about the operation and added that they had already begun the paperwork to have Macias extradited to the United States, where he is wanted on various drug trafficking conspiracy charges.

Macias and Los Choneros are blamed for having sent Ecuador into a spiral of violence that sent the country into record-setting murders. Macias has been in and out of prison and reportedly escaped from captivity in 2024 at a time when Ecuadorian cartels openly challenged the government, forcing a state of emergency to be declared. He had inherited control of Los Choneros following the death of the previous leader in 2020.

Los Choneros is the leading criminal organization in Ecuador, having been in existence for over 20 years.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected]. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].