Ecuador catches Fito
June 26, 2025
Ecuadorean security officials captured José Adolfo “Fito” Macías Villamar, the gang leader whose prison break in 2024 set off a wave of violence and a security crackdown. (El País)
Specialized Ecuadorean police and military intelligence officers, with support from the United States, tracked him to a basement where he had been hiding in the coastal city of Manta, reports the Washington Post.
The military released video footage of the operation, which involved the Ecuadorean police and armed forces, showing Macías shirtless and handcuffed as officers push him down to a tile floor. The army said that the capture was carried out “with precision and without casualties.” (New York Times)
President Daniel Noboa celebrated the capture and said that Ecuador has initiated the process to extradite him to the United States, where he is wanted on accusations of trafficking drugs and smuggling weapons.
U.S. Treasury accuses Mexican Firms of Money Laundering for Cartels
The U.S. Treasury Department accused three Mexican financial firms of laundering millions of dollars in connection with fentanyl trafficking by drug cartels, reports the New York Times.
President Claudia Sheinbaum and Mexican authorities requested the U.S. support its accusations, saying there was no proof. “Mexico is a great country and the relationship with the United States is one of equals,” she said. “We are no one’s piñata.” (New York Times)
The companies are well-known financial institutions, reports the Washington Post. CIBanco has over $7 billion in assets, while Intercam has $4 billion, according to a U.S. Treasury news release. Vector manages nearly $11 billion in assets, the statement said, and operates throughout Latin America. The U.S. orders would bar American financial institutions from receiving funds from the companies or sending money to them.
“Money laundering is on both sides of the border. How far will FinCEN push?” writes Ioan Grillo in CrashOut.
More Mexico
Sheinbaum threatened legal action over falling debris and contamination from Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket launches across the border in the United States, reports the Guardian.
Guatemala
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met with Guatemalan officials and signed an agreement for a joint security program between the two countries, reports Prensa Libre. The agreement will permit them to share protocols, information and biometric data, she said.
Colombia
Colombian President Gustavo Petro signed into law a major labor reform — a much sought victory for his legislative agenda, after several setbacks, though Congress compelled him to scale back his more radical ambitions, according to the Associated Press.
Washington’s threats to decertify Colombia for failing to curb the flow of illicit drugs could mean a pause in U.S. support for the country’s forces – and sanctions, according to a new International Crisis Group Q&A. “"The best-case scenario that many in Bogotá are hoping for is that the country will be officially decertified but subsequently provided with waivers for essential security programs,” according to Elizabeth Dickinson.
Draft legislation, under review by the lower house of the Colombia’s congress would ban genetically modified seeds, which Indigenous, peasant and environmental organizations say threaten their traditions, livelihoods and food sovereignty - Guardian
Venezuela
Former Venezuelan military intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal has reached an agreement to plead guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in the U.S., in a deal that leaves open the possibility of his cooperation with law enforcement in exchange for a reduced sentence. (Miami Herald)
Conflict in the Middle East “may have unexpected implications for Venezuela,” writes Brian Fonseca in Americas Quarterly. “Home to the world’s largest proven oil reserves and located just south of the U.S. Gulf Coast, Venezuela could once again become a focal point in efforts to diversify global energy supply, despite its modest current crude output.”
Brazil
For more than three decades, Brazilian climate scientist Carlos Nobre has warned that deforestation of the Amazon could push this globally important ecosystem past the point of no return — he told the Guardian that we are perilously close to the tipping point.
Chile
Chile’s government has taken a decisive step towards addressing the used clothing dump that has caused an environmental crisis in the Atacama Desert - Guardian.