09 January 2024 , 13:54
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A drug lord considered the most dangerous in Ecuador has escaped from prison with the president calling a state of emergency.
Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, alias Fito, escaped from the notorious Guayaquil prison last Sunday and it took 15 hours before the authorities revealed he was on the loose and they did not know where he was hiding.
He is the leader of the brutal Los Choneros gang that is linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, in Mexico, that was controlled by El Chapo before his arrest and extradition to the United States. The 44-year-old is in prison for offences including robbery, organized crime, carrying armed weapons and murder.
At the same time as Fito’s escape there has been rioting in at least four prisons reported, and guards being held hostage. Footage shows prisoners with knives held to the throats of guards and threats not to go after Fito or use the army against prisoners.
It is the second time that Fito has escaped, with the previous occasion in 2013, where he broke out of the top security La Roca prison and was on the run for 10 months before police found him.
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Criminals have taken over some prisons in EcuadorFito became head of Los Choneros following the murder of Jorge Luis Zambrano, alias the itch, who was the leader since the 1980s. It started off as a gang infamous for assassinations before moving into drug dealing, extortion and robbery and Ecuadorian police have said it was the first cartel to build links with other foreign gangs.
Last September, a music video made featuring Fito from inside prison sparked fury in Ecuador. The video honouring the criminal sees him sitting reading in the maximum security Guayaquil prison that has been considered to be under his control. On his fingers are also two gold rings in the form of lions and a bracelet in the same style.
The government has given the army powers to go in to prisons to retake control (Getty Images)In the music video called ‘the lion’s ballad’, that appears professionally made, it tries to make out that Fito is not a bad person while taunting the government that it doesn’t have control. Prison authorities were not able to explain how the video took place or how recording equipment could have been brought into the heavily guarded facilities.
As the manhunt for Fito continues, President Daniel Noboa has called a state of emergency for 60 days which suspends citizen’s rights and allows the military to enter prisons. He said: “It has ended the time where those imprisoned for drugs, assasinations and organised crime can dictate to the government.”
He continued: “What we are seeing in the prisons is the result of the decision to face up to them. For that reason we have taken measures that allow us to take back control of prisons which we have lost in recent years and for that reason they are trying to scare us and think we will give way to their demands.”
But at the same time no mention so far has been made by the Ecuadorian government of Fito’s disappearance and pressure is growing on the president with last year seeing a new record high of murders at 7,600 deaths.