After 16 months on the run, alleged Los Choneros leader returned to Ecuador

Ecuadorian authorities have brought back alleged Los Choneros leader Ronald Javier Macias Villamar, known as "Javi", following his arrest in Colombia, marking a significant development in the country's campaign against organised crime.

Macias arrived in Guayaquil on Thursday night under heavy security after being expelled from Colombia.

Images showed him stepping off a plane handcuffed and wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest before being taken for medical checks and transferred to a maximum-security prison.

Authorities said Macias was arrested in Bogota during a joint operation involving Ecuadorian and Colombian security forces. He was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice and is wanted in Ecuador on allegations including homicide, money laundering and organised crime.

Interior Minister John Reimberg described the arrest as a major operation targeting the leadership of Los Choneros.

"An operation that the [Security] Block has carried out to bring [to justice] the man who until yesterday led the criminal structure of 'Los Choneros': Javier Macias Villamar, alias 'Javi', who for one year and four months had been under investigation and sought by the authorities of Ecuador," he said.

According to Reimberg, Macias had remained outside the reach of authorities for more than a year while living in Colombia under a different identity.

"Javi was using a new identity granted by Colombia. That is serious; however, the operations of the Intelligence Block did not stop, and we managed to locate him and subsequently arrest him," he said.

The arrest is the latest action by Ecuadorian authorities as they continue operations against organised crime groups and drug trafficking networks linked to rising violence across the country.