How alias Raúl, one of the successors to drug lord Fito, operated within the power structure of Los Choneros in Ecuador

Heráclito Sánchez Zambrano was detained on November 12 in Ecuador. The capture of Heráclito Sánchez Zambrano, alias Raúl, identified by Ecuadorian authorities as one of the operational successors of José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias Fito, revealed the efforts of a faction of Los Choneros to retain control of international drug trafficking routes and the logistical structures that support the shipment of cocaine from Ecuador to other countries. The detainee is said to have assumed responsibilities within the organization after the murder of David Macías Villamar, brother of the drug trafficker extradited to the United States in July 2025. Sánchez Zambrano was detained on November 12 during Operation Gran Fénix–Palmar, carried out by the National Police and the Ecuadorian Prosecutor's Office after approximately one year of investigations. According to information released by the Ministry of the Interior, the suspect directed activities related to drug trafficking, arms trafficking and extortion, in addition to coordinating territorial and logistical operations in the coastal province of Manabí. José Adolfo Macías, known as "Fito," leader of the criminal group Los Choneros, sits in an armored personnel carrier after being recaptured following his escape from a prison in Guayaquil in 2024, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in this photo obtained by Reuters on June 26, 2025 (Ecuadorian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo). The investigation published by Ecuavisa indicates that alias Raúl maintained a low profile, far from the displays of economic power common among some criminal leaders. A police source consulted by that outlet indicated that he lived in a modest home and avoided drawing attention. His importance within Los Choneros would have been linked mainly to his knowledge of drug trafficking operations and his contacts with cocaine suppliers in Colombia. His rise came after the murder of David Macías Villamar, which occurred in July 2026 in the province of Santa Elena. According to police information gathered by Ecuavisa, Sánchez Zambrano was considered one of the main collaborators of Fito's brother and would have inherited part of the structure he administered, particularly the connections needed to acquire, store and transport drug shipments. The network under investigation allegedly maintained ties with Colombian suppliers and operators in charge of moving cocaine toward Central America, from where part of the shipments could continue on to the United States. These connections were fundamental to sustaining the activities of an organization that has experienced successive losses of leaders and disputes over the control of strategic territories. FILE. REFERENCE. Capture of members of Los Choneros (Photo: National Police). Manabí constitutes one of the main settings for these operations. Its extensive coastline and the presence of fishing facilities, boats and maritime departure points offer conditions that criminal organizations have exploited to move drug shipments. In this province, investigations attribute activities by Raúl's faction to sectors of Manta, Portoviejo, Jipijapa and Paján. During Operation Gran Fénix–Palmar, authorities located a clandestine boatyard in a mangrove area, allegedly used to hide speedboats intended for transporting illicit substances. They also reported the seizure of approximately half a ton of cocaine and the detention of several suspects linked to the structure. Interior Minister John Reimberg initially reported that the operation had resulted in 14 arrests and 15 raids. Subsequently, the Prosecutor's Office reported 15 people detained and 23 raids carried out in Pichincha and Manabí, in addition to interventions in penitentiary centers. The figures correspond to official communications released during the course of the investigations. File photograph showing Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg during an interview with EFE, in Quito, Ecuador (EFE/José Jácome). Among those detained, according to Ecuavisa, was also a son of Sánchez Zambrano who reportedly has a 40-year sentence for other crimes. Authorities were also investigating the participation of other individuals in activities of distribution and commercialization of illicit substances. The detention of Raúl takes place amid a reconfiguration of the leadership of Los Choneros, an organization that for years was headed by alias Fito. Macías Villamar was recaptured on June 25, 2025, after remaining at large since his escape from an Ecuadorian prison in January 2024. On July 20, 2025, he was extradited to the United States to face charges related to drug trafficking and other crimes. His departure from the country did not mean the disappearance of the organization. On the contrary, police investigations describe a fragmented structure, with different operators who retained influence over territories, financial resources and drug transport networks. According to a reconstruction published by El Comercio, the succession of command within Los Choneros has developed through internal disputes and the emergence of leaders with regional responsibilities. The captures of other members of the organization, along with the murder of David Macías, contributed to altering the power relations among its different factions. The origin of this fragmentation dates back to December 2020, when Jorge Luis Zambrano, alias Rasquiña, then the top leader of Los Choneros, was murdered. His death triggered disputes among structures that had previously maintained cooperative relations and that later engaged in confrontations over the control of criminal economies. Los Lobos and Los Tiguerones are cells apparently sponsored by the CJNG in Ecuador (Photo: Twitter/@aisdmx). Among the organizations that emerged from that rupture are Los Lobos, Los Tiguerones and Los Chone Killers, which have disputed territories and drug trafficking routes with the original organization. Los Lobos, in particular, expanded its presence in various Ecuadorian provinces and became one of the main actors in the country's organized crime. In this scenario, control of maritime corridors and international connections represents a strategic resource for the factions of Los Choneros. The available information indicates that the structure attributed to Raúl sought to maintain its capacity to manage cocaine shipments, coordinate their transport and retain territorial positions linked to these operations. However, authorities have not publicly established that Sánchez Zambrano exercised command over the entirety of Los Choneros. His identification as Fito's successor corresponds to his alleged position within an operational faction and not necessarily to a transfer of the national leadership of the organization. The investigation also raises questions about the network's financial workings, the identity of its international contacts and the mechanisms used to keep its operations running after the arrests of other leaders. According to Ecuavisa, consultations of the available judicial records did not identify prior criminal proceedings against Sánchez Zambrano, a circumstance that contrasts with the responsibilities that investigators currently attribute to him. The accusations must be examined by the Ecuadorian justice system. The capture of alias Raúl represents a new blow against the operational structures of Los Choneros, although it does not yet allow the scope of its consequences for the organization to be determined. The persistence of cocaine supply, storage and transportation networks constitutes one of the main challenges for Ecuadorian authorities, as the country continues to be used as a transit point for shipments destined for international markets.