GUAYAQUIL — Francisco Manuel Bermúdez Cagua, also known as "Churrón," was captured on July 2, 2026, in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He served as the national leader of the Los Choneros criminal group. His apprehension followed tracking operations by military intelligence.

Bermúdez Cagua was the subject of an international arrest warrant and faced a $5 million reward from the United States for information leading to his arrest, announced in December 2025. The U.S. accused him of participating in decision-making processes for drug and arms trafficking on behalf of Los Choneros. He was among Los Choneros leaders indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for conspiring to import and distribute cocaine and for possessing firearms to facilitate drug trafficking.

Rafael André Delgado Martínez and Steven Dustin Poveda López were captured alongside Bermúdez Cagua. Both individuals were part of Bermúdez Cagua's security detail. During the operation, authorities seized the vehicle used by Bermúdez Cagua and his associates, as well as weapons and ammunition.

Los Choneros emerged in 1990, with the Ecuadorian police stating the group controlled drug passage along the Pacific coast in coordination with the Sinaloa Cartel. The U.S. government designated Los Choneros as a foreign terrorist organization in 2025. Bermúdez Cagua was a close associate of Adolfo Macías, alias "Fito," who was the maximum leader of Los Choneros. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Macías and Los Choneros in February 2024, and Macías was extradited to the United States in July 2025.

Ecuadorian Minister of Defense Gian Carlo Loffredo stated, "His capture represents a 'hard blow' to organized crime." The operation involved military intelligence and resulted in the apprehension of two members of Bermúdez Cagua's security circle and the seizure of a vehicle and weapons.

Why It Matters

The capture of Francisco Manuel Bermúdez Cagua marks a development in ongoing efforts against organized crime. Bermúdez Cagua held a leadership position within Los Choneros, a group designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government and sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department. His arrest removes a figure accused of involvement in international drug and arms trafficking, particularly in the context of U.S. legal actions against the group and its leadership, including his associate Adolfo Macías.