Where is Fito? Ecuador’s notorious drug lord who escaped the prison in which he lived like a king

Published

1 month ago

April 24, 2024

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In his prison cell, drug lord Adolfo ‘Fito’ Macias lived like a king. Then one day, he vanished.

A state of emergency in Ecuador was declared after his escape from prison, and the government battled to regain control of the country’s jails from gangs.

President Daniel Noboa has vowed to eradicate violence and restore order, but three months on his forces have yet to recapture Macias, 44, the leader of the notorious Los Choneros gang.

Fito was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking and murder. His escape in January occurred on the day he was scheduled to be moved from La Regional prison to a maximum security facility.

Despite being behind bars, he was able to continue to direct the activities of Los Choneros. He also enjoyed access to mobile phones and the internet, watched TV and kept pets.

“His prison cell basically resembled a hotel room,” says Annette Idler, a professor of global security at the University of Oxford. “He had access to women who were brought to him,” she adds. “It was a luxury room for him.”

Colourful murals of the gang leader were even daubed across the walls, including one of him flanked by two assault rifles.

Music video glorification

Fito also managed to star in a professionally produced music video, parts of which were filmed inside his prison, exalting the drugs kingpin as “el jefe y patron” – the boss.

There has been no explanation from authorities about how a film crew was able to gain access to one of Ecuador’s most notorious criminals. Meanwhile, El Corrido del Leon – the Lion’s Ballad – has racked up nearly 900,000 views on YouTube.

“It was glorifying him as this good and honest guy – how does that happen?”, says John Murdy, a University of Chicago PhD student who has spent years researching Ecuador’s prisons. “Fito is unique.”

This was only possible, Prof Idler says, because of corruption in the Ecuadorian prison system, with prison guards severely outnumbered and under pressure.

The choice between silver and lead

“It’s something that resembles Pablo Escobar – the choice between silver and lead. Either they receive a bribe or they’re just shot.”

Those same words are emblazoned on the prison wall mural of Fito – ‘plata’ (silver) and ‘plomo’ (lead).

Prison guards faced with overcrowded jails and not enough support are vulnerable to this kind of pressure from the gangs, who can find out where their families live, and often end up on their payroll.

Unable to fully control their prisons, authorities resorted to sorting new inmates by their gang affiliation.

“In effect the Ecuadorian state is giving prison wings over to gangs, which means they are able to consolidate their power and have a base of operations,” Murdy says. They can then collect weapons like machine guns, machetes and bombs, he adds.

Los Choneros, led by Fito, is one of the gangs authorities hold responsible for a spike in violence that reached new highs last year with the assassination of the presidential candidate, Fernando Villavicencio.

When Fito escaped La Regional prison on 7 January – his second jailbreak – the news spread around the world.

Roberto Izurieta, press secretary for the president, said “most likely” there was a leak of information that led to Fito’s escape. He said the gang chief was tipped off “a matter of hours” before he disappeared.

Embarrassment for president

“It was a real egg-on-the-face moment for the new president,” says Murdy. “Somehow Fito learned about this very high level security intervention and was able to escape without a gunshot fired.”

But should it have come as such a shock? After all, he was not being held in a high security prison.

Prof Idler adds: “In a way it was not much of a surprise… because we know Fito had lots of control.”

Three months later, Fito is still at large.

“On the one hand, it’s surprising because Ecuador is working with the US and Colombia, who have good intelligence services – this should help in finding him.”

‘Endemic corruption’

But Prof Idler added that the “endemic corruption” in Ecuador means that it may be difficult to track him down.

“It’s not clear where he actually went,” she says. “Given that these criminal organisations operate across borders it’s also quite likely that he is very well protected through his network, not just inside Ecuador but also in the wider region.”

There was speculation that he might head to Argentina, where he had moved his wife and children. But they were deported back to Ecuador a couple of weeks after Fito’s escape.

Amid suspicion that he might instead seek to pass through Peru to reach Bolivia, the Peruvian government strengthened security along its border.

Prof Idler adds: “The authorities’ eyes are on him, but it’s definitely plausible that he’s still somewhere in the region hiding.”

It remains to be seen when, or if, Fito will be hunted down. And even if he’s recaptured and put back in prison, what then? Fito has already escaped prison twice, could he do it again?

World

Fire breaks out at amusement park in India, killing at least 24 people

Published

33 mins ago

May 25, 2024

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Fire breaks out at amusement park in India, killing at least 24 people

A huge fire has broken out at an amusement park in western India, leaving at least 24 people dead.

The blaze happened at the park in the city of Rajkot, with the cause of the fire being investigated.

Many children are reported to be among those who died in the catastrophe in the Gujarat state, western India.

Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava said the flames were now under control and 20 bodies had been recovered.

Flames were seen engulfing the TRP game zone and thick clouds of smoke rose into the sky.

A police official at the local civil hospital said some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition.

The park is usually packed with families with children enjoying the school summer vacation over the weekend.

Footage showed firefighters clearing debris around collapsed tin roof structures that media reports said were used for bowling, go-karting and trampoline attractions.

Mr Bhargava said police will file a case of negligence against the owner of the park.

The city’s mayor, Nayana Pedhadiya, also vowed that action would be taken.

He said: “Our focus is on rescue operations and saving lives. We will ensure strict action is taken against the people who are responsible for this incident.”

The cause of the fire is not yet confirmed, the district’s chief fire officer said.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X that he was “extremely distressed by the fire mishap in Rajkot”.

“My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones,” he added.

“Prayers for the injured.”

World

International Court of Justice orders Israel to halt Rafah offensive

Published

1 day ago

May 24, 2024

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International Court of Justice orders Israel to halt Rafah offensive

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to stop its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The top United Nations court said the humanitarian situation in Rafah had “deteriorated further” since its previous court order for Israel to improve it, adding that what was happening in the besieged Palestinian territory was “disastrous”.

It comes after South Africa put in an emergency request to the ICJ for it to order Israel to stop its Rafah assault.

The ICJ president Nawaf Salam said in The Hague: “The state of Israel shall… immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”

The court also ordered Israel to open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to allow in humanitarian aid, and said Israel must provide access to the territory for investigators and report back on its progress within a month.

The order was handed down a week after it was requested by South Africa, which in January formally accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in a hearing at the UN court.

Israel, which claims that its military operations in Gaza are in self-defence and targeted at Hamas fighters, has vehemently denied the accusations.

Israel launched its assault on Rafah this month, forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee a city that had become a refuge to around half of the population’s 2.3 million people.

The ICJ is the highest UN body for hearing disputes between states, and its rulings are final and binding but have been ignored in the past.

No enforcement powers

The court has no enforcement powers and Israel is unlikely to comply with the latest ICJ order, which was adopted by a panel of 15 judges from around the world in a 13-2 vote, opposed only by judges from Uganda and Israel.

In response to the judgment, Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said: “Those who demand that the State of Israel stop the war, demand that it decree itself to cease to exist. We will not agree to that. If we lay down our weapons, the enemy will reach the beds of our children and women throughout the country.”

South Africa has welcomed the latest ruling, with Zane Dangor, director general of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, saying the order was “ground-breaking as it is the first time that explicit mention is made for Israel to halt its military action in any area of Gaza”.

Hamas also welcomed the ruling but said it was insufficient, with senior official Basem Naim saying “we believe it is not enough since the occupation aggression across the Gaza Strip and especially in northern Gaza is just as brutal and dangerous”.

“We call upon the UN Security Council to immediately implement this demand by the World Court into practical measures to compel the Zionist enemy to implement the decision.”

Israel says it has no choice but to attack Rafah to root out the last battalions of Hamas fighters it thinks are hiding there.

The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to both eliminate Hamas and get all the hostages back who were taken in the October 7th attacks.

“Hamas is in Rafah, Hamas has been holding our hostages in Rafah, which is why our forces are manoeuvering in Rafah. We’re doing this in a targeted and precise way,” Israeli chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Thursday.

But the US – Israel’s most powerful ally – has threatened to scale back its support over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.

What were the earlier ICJ rulings?

In a previous ruling in January, the court ordered Israel to prevent any acts of genocide against the Palestinians, while stopping short of ordering a halt to the military offensive.

And in a second order in March, the court said Israel must take measures to improve the humanitarian situation.

Also in January, the ICJ called on Hamas to release hostages it captured on October 7th.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court – a separate court also based in The Hague – announced on Monday he had filed an application for arrest warrants against Mr Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant, as well as leaders of Hamas.

Prosecutor Karim Khan accused Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant of crimes including extermination, using hunger as a weapon and deliberately attacking civilians. Israel strongly denied the charges.

The Israelis said Hamas killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages in the October 7 raid on southern Israel.

Since then, Israel’s incursion has killed more than 35,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

World

China launches mock missile strikes on Taiwan to ‘punish’ new president

Published

1 day ago

May 24, 2024

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China launches mock missile strikes on Taiwan to 'punish' new president

China has tested its ability to “seize power” by launching mock missile strikes on Taiwan and pretending to bomb foreign assets.

The two-day tests were staged to punish Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, who China has previously denounced as being a “dangerous separatist”.

China dispatched fighter jets carrying live missiles along with bombers on Friday, state broadcaster CCTV said.

The bombers set up several attack formations in waters east of Taiwan – which China views as its own territory. Mock attacks were carried out in coordination with naval vessels, CCTV added.

A sign of bigger things to come?

It’s just days after Taiwan President Lai Ching-te was sworn into office in Taipei and China is making a big statement – with these so-called “punishment” drills.

The island’s new leader is loathed by Beijing even more than his predecessor, describing Mr Lai as a “dangerous separatist”.

Beijing took great offence at President Lai using the word China to describe China. It believes that revealed his real thinking – that they’re two separate countries.

Now Beijing has carried out numerous blockades before of course, but this time it is casting it as a dress rehearsal for an “invasion”, focused on encircling the island and simulating a full-scale attack.

It says it wants to test its ability to “seize” control over Taiwan. It’s more than simply rhetorical bluster.

It’s an important inflection point and a significant test for Taiwan’s ruling party, which has championed democracy in the face of growing threats from its authoritarian neighbour.

The drills are taking place in the Taiwan Strait, which separates the self-ruling island from mainland China.

They’re not only in the north, south and east of Taiwan, but also the outlying islands of Kinmen, Dongyin, Wuqiu and Matsu.

That expansion, coupled with China’s more muscular language has prompted analysts to warn it could be a sign of bigger things to come.

The name “Joint Sword 2024-A” at the very least suggests more may be afoot.

And there’s global optics and dynamics at play. The recent meeting with Putin was a reminder Xi Jinping wants to create a new world order, away from the US and Taiwan has always been in its sights.

But – and it’s a big but – China is facing a huge economic challenge at home and any war would not only be expensive but experts say, would also take many months to prepare for.

These drills currently look like a warning shot. The real “punishment” may be yet to come.

President Lai has attracted the ire of Beijing over pro-independence comments made earlier in his career.

While the president has since been more cautious about repeating similar remarks, his claim about China having to “face up to the fact that the Republic of Taiwan exists” during his inauguration speech earlier this week was enough to anger Beijing.

‘Seize power’

The Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army said the exercises, dubbed “Joint Sword – 2024A”, were to “test the ability to jointly seize power, launch joint attacks and occupy key areas”.

“This action is completely reasonable, legal, and necessary to combat the arrogance of ‘Taiwan independence’ and deter the interference and intervention of external forces,” said Wu Qian, a spokesperson of China’s defence ministry.

Taiwan’s armed forces have mobilised to monitor and shadow Chinese forces, with the island’s defence ministry on Friday publishing pictures of F-16s, armed with live missiles, patrolling the skies.

A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters several Chinese bombers conducted mock attacks on foreign vessels near the eastern end of the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines, practicing how to seize “total control” of areas west of the so-called first island chain.

The first island chain refers to the area that runs from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines and on to Borneo, enclosing China’s coastal seas.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic, said several Chinese coastguard boats also conducted “harassment” drills off Taiwan’s east coast, including mock inspections of civilian ships.

The US Navy 7th Fleet said it was paying attention to “all of the activities” in the Indo-Pacific and takes “very seriously” the responsibility to deter aggression in the region.

‘No concessions’

While the US formally recognises Beijing, it is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself and is the island’s most important international backer.

Speaking in Taipei, Taiwan foreign minister Lin Chia-lung said the island would not succumb to pressure.

“We will not make any concessions because of this Chinese military exercise, because it concerns the development of
democracy in Taiwan,” he said.