Ecuador President Noboa announces capture of notorious gang leader Rolando Gomez in Colombia

Media7 15 hours ago

Published on: Oct 03, 2025 11:50 am IST

Rolando “Fede” Gomez, 39, is accused of leading Los Aguilas, an armed wing of Ecuador’s powerful Los Choneros gang.

The alleged leader of one of Ecuador’s main gangs, who has a million-dollar bounty on his head since escaping prison in June, has been recaptured in Colombia, President Daniel Noboa announced Thursday.

The alleged gang leader escaped from a prison in the port city of Guayaquil in June dressed as a soldier, according to local media.(AFP)

Rolando “Fede” Gomez, 39, is accused of leading Los Aguilas, an armed wing of Ecuador’s powerful Los Choneros gang.

Initially arrested in January, he escaped from a prison in the port city of Guayaquil in June dressed as a soldier, according to local media.

Gomez was recaptured in the Colombian city of Medellin, carrying identity papers under a different name, Ecuadoran Interior Minister John Reimberg said on X.

Noboa meanwhile posted a photo of Gomez shirtless, showing his torso covered with a large tattoo.

“Ecuador will not back down. The law rules here, not the mafia,” said the president, who has staked his political fortunes on reducing record murder rates and combating organized crime.

Once among the safest in Latin America, Ecuador is now one of the most dangerous.

Nestled between the world’s biggest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, the country is thought to be the departure point for 70 percent of the world’s supply of cocaine, most of it destined for the United States.

The Colombian police said Gomez was believed to be in Medellin “seeking alliances” with local and international drug traffickers to expand his networks and “establish new routes.”

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