Colombian authorities are investigating the possible entry into the country of Ecuadorian criminal Fito, who escaped from prison

Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, alias Fito, And the top boss of the Los Choneros criminal gang has become a headache for the Ecuadorian government, and now for the Colombian government as well. According to intelligence from the Colombian military forces published by the newspaper TimeOne of the neighboring country’s most dangerous criminals and who escaped from prison in Guayaquil a week ago may be hiding in Colombia or planning to do so very soon. Faced with these suspicions, the national army launched a special operation this Friday in the 586-km binational zone, where initially 180 soldiers will be present to confirm whether the kingpin has crossed the border or not.

The theory that the feared Mafia is on national territory is, among other things, supported by the ties of Los Choneros with illegal Colombian groups operating in the south of the country, as is the case with several powerful dissident fronts of the Second Marquetalia, such as In carolina ramirez which operates mainly in the department of Putumayo and oliver sinisterra (FOS) which has power in some Ecuadorian provinces such as Nariño and Esmeraldas. Thanks to their control of strategic areas on drug trafficking routes, such structures have become key allies for the Mafia led by Fito, Therefore, it is believed that they could have helped him avoid the operations and enter the country.

Other events added to these alliances, such as the capture of Jorge Luis Zambrano in Bogotá in 2013. At the time, Zambrano served as the top leader of Los Choneros., A decade later, in May last year, Junior Alexander Roldan, head of Los Aguilas, a major faction of the gang led by Fito, was assassinated in Antioquia. His body was found with a gunshot wound to the head in a rural area in the municipality of Fredonia. The department is also monitored by the Colombian military due to the high presence of gangs dedicated to drug trafficking.

Alert in other countries

Versions remain confusing as to where the powerful fugitive might be. Although the first signs lead one to think that Phyto While in Colombia, other versions suggest that due to its territorial proximity to the port of Guayaquil, he could have fled to Peru. However, that country’s interior minister, Víctor Torres Falcón, was emphatic in clarifying that the gangster would not be there. “Intentions do not matter, as police work is clear and precise; And we have investigated the person who is in the northern country. (…) It has been denied that he is in Peru,” he told a local newspaper.

Nevertheless, the government of Dina Boluatre launched a military operation in Tumbes, on the border with Ecuador, where it intends to strengthen security with the presence of at least 300 police officers. Despite the security crisis prevailing in the region, Peruvian authorities announced that they are not planning to close the border, but will instead reinforce filters in the exit and entry procedures into their territory.

Subscribe here More for EL PAÍS newsletter about Colombia Here for the channel on WhatsAppAnd get all the information keys on current events in the country.