The arrest of “Veto” after a hunt for more than a year
Ecuadorian President Daniel Nuboa announced on Wednesday the arrest of Jose Advo Massias, known as “Veto”, one of the most dangerous drug dealers wanted in Ecuador and the United States, more than a year after his mysterious escape from prison.
The leader of the “Los Shuniros” gang was arrested in Manta, his hometown, the authorities confirmed. Last April, an indictment was charged in New York of supplying thousands of pounds from cocaine to the United States.
A security operation inside a residential house
According to the Ecuadorian army, “Veto” was arrested hidden in a hole under the kitchen of a house in Manta. A video that documents the moment of his arrest was published, as an officer appeared famous for his head while the latter repeated his full name.
The Interpol had issued an arrest warrant for his right after fleeing in the early 2024 from the Gawayyan Regional Prison, where he was serving a 34 -year prison sentence on drug charges. The authorities have not yet explained how he managed to escape from one of the country’s most violent prisons, and his absence was only discovered when a military unit reached to transfer him to another prison.
The United States is calling for delivery
“More will fall, we will restore the country. There is no truce,” Nubua said in a post on the X platform. He emphasized that the procedures for delivering a veto to the United States were completed, pending the American response.
Last year, American prosecutor John Durham stated that “Veto” led a network of killers, drug dealers and weapons since 2020, noting that he was associated with Mexican drug cartals.
The gang leader from prison … to parties
Although he was behind the bars in 2023, “Veto” posted a video clip of “Ecuadorian people” surrounded by armed men. He was running his gang from inside the prison, where he organized concerts and possessed entertainment methods that included alcoholic drinks and even the rocks of wrestling.
The authorities say that his escape caused chaos inside the country, which included bombings, the assassination of deputy general, armed attacks on a television channel, and threats to carry out random executions of civilians.
American accusations and international network
The American indigestion revealed that “Los Choniros” was transporting tons of cocaine from South America to the United States with the help of Mexican cartoons. Weapons from the United States to Ecuador were also tried through intermediaries inside America.
Washington ranked the gang last year as one of the most violent criminal groups in the region, while the Ecuadorian government announced earlier in the month to raise the value of the reward in exchange for the arrest of “Veto” to one million dollars.
