Trump administration offers $5M reward for capture of fugitive Los Choneros gang leader
The Trump administration is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a Los Choneros leader, a gang the State Department designated as a...
By Fox News · Fox News
The Trump administration is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a Los Choneros leader, a gang the State Department designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in September. The State Department’s Narcotics Reward Program announced the reward Thursday for Ecuadorian fugitive Francisco Manuel Bermúdez Cagua, also known as "Churron," as the gang he belongs to is allegedly responsible for trafficking drugs and firearms into the U.S. and carrying out extreme acts of violence. The 29-year-old is charged with international cocaine distribution conspiracy, international cocaine distribution and using firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, according to a superseding indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York . The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York brought the charges, and the superseding indictment was unsealed in June. TRUMP WARNS US MAY LAUNCH LAND OPERATIONS INSIDE VENEZUELA ‘VERY SOON,’ SAYS REGIME SENT ‘KILLERS’ TO AMERICA "As alleged, Bermúdez Cagua is a top lieutenant within the leadership of Los Choneros, an extremely violent foreign terrorist organization responsible for pumping drugs into the United States, causing harm to our communities, and wreaking havoc in his homeland of Ecuador," U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York said. "The significant reward being offered by the State Department underscores our resolve to bring Los Choneros’s leadership to justice in a U.S. courthouse and eradicate such organizations." Co-conspirator José Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as "Fito," 46, was extradited to New York in July 2025. The Department of Justice said he is an Ecuadorian citizen who also faces international drug trafficking and firearms charges. Darío Javier Peñafiel Nieto, also known as "Topo," 35, is a co-conspirator in the superseding indictment and is currently in custody in Ecuador. COAST GUARD HELICOPTER SNIPER TAKES OUT NARCO…