Colombia Arrests Wife and Daughter of Ecuador Gang Leader Fito

Ecuadorian and Colombian authorities captured the wife and daughter of former Choneros leader alias “Fito” in Santander, Colombia, marking the latest strike against his family network.

1. Fito’s Wife and Daughter Seized in Colombia in Money Laundering Case

The wife and daughter of José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias “Fito,” the former leader of Ecuador’s Choneros, were captured in Sabana de Torres, Santander, Colombia, on September 27 by Ecuadorian and Colombian authorities, with assistance from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Inda Mariela Peñarrieta Tuárez and Michelle Jamileth Macías Peñarrieta were wanted in Ecuador in a money laundering case known as “Blanqueo Fito.” Ecuadorian investigators allege Fito’s wife and daughter were seeking alliances with Colombian criminal organizations to move arms, drugs, and money prior to their arrest.

Multiple strikes have targeted Fito’s inner circle since his recapture in June 2025 and subsequent extradition to the United States. On May 28, 2026, an Ecuadorian court convicted six people from his family circle of asset laundering in the Blanqueo Fito case, including his romantic partner, Verónica Briones. One of Fito’s brothers, Ronald Javier Macías Villamars, alias “Javi,” was captured in a Bogotá apartment in June and expelled to Ecuador, where he awaits trial in the same case.

The dismantling of Fito’s inner circle has created a leadership vacuum within the Choneros at a time when the group is struggling to maintain influence in Ecuador’s increasingly fragmented criminal landscape.

2. Chilean Police Dismantle First PCC Cell in the Country

Chilean police detained 20 people on September 28 in what prosecutors described as the first cell of Brazil’s First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital – PCC) in the country, though authorities first detected signs of a PCC presence in 2022.

3. Colombia Extradites Border Command Leader to United States

Colombia extradited Geovany Andrés Rojas, alias “Araña,” leader of a FARC dissident group known as the Border Command (Comandos de la Frontera), to the United States on September 25 on cocaine trafficking and “narco-terrorism” charges. Rojas had been in custody since February 2025, following his arrest at the conclusion of a press conference between his organization and the Petro government, where he served as a peace delegate. The extradition marks the formal end of Colombia’s Total Peace negotiations.

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