Colombia: wife and daughter of Adolfo Macias arrested for money laundering
The wife and daughter of the Choneros leader have been arrested in Colombia on Sunday for money laundering. The operation marks a new stage of regional cooperation against drug trafficking.
Arrest in Colombia
Inda Peñarrieta and Michelle Macias, the wife and one of the daughters of Adolfo Macias, were apprehended on Sunday 27 September in Sabana de Torres, in the Colombian department of Santander, reports rfi.fr. The two women were subject to a red notice issued by Interpol at the request of the Ecuadorian police, who suspect them of money laundering and asset laundering of more than 15 million euros. This money comes from the criminal activities of the organised armed group the Choneros, of which Adolfo Macias was the leader before his extradition to the United States.
Reopened investigation and regional cooperation
Following this arrest, the Ecuadorian public prosecutor announced the reopening of the investigation known as "Fito Laundering". The operation was carried out with the support of the FBI and demonstrates the dynamic of collaboration between Washington, Bogota and Quito. Colombian president Abelardo De La Espriella confirmed the capture on social media, announcing that the two women would be handed over to the Ecuadorian authorities to be tried. Ecuadorian president Noboa praised this cooperation in responding: "This is how you have to work, Abelardo: together and with results".
Detention and criminal context
Inda Peñarrieta and Michelle Macias will be held at the "Rock" prison in Guayaquil, a maximum-security centre reserved for Ecuador's most wanted women. According to John Reimberg, Ecuador's Minister of the Interior, this laundered money "buys weapons, pays hitmen and finances extortion". The Choneros are classified as a terrorist organisation by the United States and maintain links with the Mexican Sinaloa cartel. Approximately 70 per cent of the cocaine produced in Colombia and Peru currently transits through Ecuador, a country plagued by violence related to drug trafficking.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)