Ecuador's most wanted drug lord 'Fito' captured in 'underground bunker'

The leader of Los Choneros gang, Adolfo Macías Villamar, had been on the run for 17 months.

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Macías, also known by the alias "Fito", is the leader of Los Choneros, a powerful criminal gang which is blamed for Ecuador's transformation from a tourist haven to a country with one of the highest murder rates in the region.

He is also suspected of having ordered the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023.

Police tracked him down to what they described as an underground bunker below a luxury home in the city of Manta.

A police spokesman said no shots were fired in the 10-hour joint operation by police and the military.