Arrested in Bogotá: alias 'Javi', brother of 'Fito' and leader of Los Choneros
Ronald Javier Macías Villamar, known as alias 'Javi', was detained in Bogotá. He is the brother of the founder of Los Choneros and had convictions in Ecuador for homicide, money laundering and illicit enrichment.
Arrested in Bogotá: alias 'Javi', brother of 'Fito' and leader of Los Choneros
Colombian authorities detained Ronald Javier Macías Villamar, alias "Javi", one of the most important heads of the Ecuadorian criminal organisation Los Choneros, in the country's capital. The operation was described as one of the strongest blows against Ecuadorian criminal gangs that have extended their operations into Colombian territory.
According to reporting by El Espectador, alias "Javi" is the brother of Jorge Luis Zambrano, alias "Fito", the creator of Los Choneros. According to the National Police, within the criminal structure he was responsible for establishing pacts with other gangs and managing the illicit finances of the group.
The Defence Minister, Pedro Sánchez, stated to Congress that the presence of Ecuadorian criminal organisations in Colombia has grown notably in recent times. These groups have managed to forge links with Mexican organisations to move narcotics towards different foreign markets.
Investigations indicate that "Javi" sought to establish strategic agreements, principally with the Sinaloa organisation, to expand Los Choneros' power in the region. Investigators maintain that he coordinated the handling of monies of illicit origin through a network made up of family members, in order to guarantee the survival of the gang despite the judicial setbacks it has suffered.
In Ecuador, alias "Javi" had already been sentenced for crimes including deprivation of life, laundering of illicit gains and undue enrichment, which is why the authorities in that country considered him a key piece to capture.
The detention of "Javi" joins a series of recent operations that have weakened the power of Ecuadorian criminal structures on national territory. In Medellín, on 3 October 2025, Rolando Federico Gómez Quinde, alias "Fede", one of the top chiefs of Los Choneros, was arrested. He had an international arrest warrant from Interpol. In March, in the Mexican capital, Ángel Esteban Aguilar Morales, alias "Lobo Menor", alleged chief of Los Lobos and linked to the assassination of former Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, was detained. Similarly, in Tumaco, Nariño, Juan David Cabezas Ruano, alias "Ruano", number two in the hierarchy of La Siate, was apprehended and deported.
According to official information gathered by El Espectador, these actions have broken chains of command, hampered the movement of narcotics and demonstrated the results of joint work by the authorities of Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico to dismantle these criminal networks.
Information based on: Pulzo / El Espectador
Source: Google News CO — Bogotá