The U.S. State Department is currently offering a hefty sum for a tip that leads to the capture of Francisco Manuel Bermúdez Cagua, a key figure within Los Choneros, a violent FTO responsible for drug and firearms trafficking as well as numerous acts of violence—this organization has been leaving a trail of chaos from Ecuador to our own backyard. Bermúdez Cagua, also known as "Churron," faces several charges, including international cocaine distribution conspiracy and the use of firearms in drug trafficking, detailed in a superseding indictment from the Eastern District of New York, unsealed earlier in June 2025.
A reward of up to $5 million is now on the table, as announced in the Narcotics Reward Program (NRP) by United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr., who emphasized the group's responsibility for "pumping drugs into the United States, causing harm to our communities, and wreaking havoc in his homeland of Ecuador," a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York reveals. The hunt for Bermúdez Cagua intensifies as his organization, Los Choneros, has been officially designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S. State Department in September 2025—highlighting the gravity of their criminal activities and the threat they pose.
In coordination with efforts to capture Bermúdez Cagua, authorities have already extradited one co-conspirator, José Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as "Fito," and detained another, Darío Javier Peñafiel Nieto, known as "Topo." These actions are part of a broader crackdown on the transnational criminal organization, which has a significant history of orchestrating the distribution of massive amounts of cocaine from South America to the United States and employing violence to maintain its grip on operations. The NRP seeks information that could finally put Bermúdez Cagua before the U.S. justice system and dismantle the network he helps command.
The DEA Administrator Terrance Cole and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Deputy Director Rob Cekada have both issued statements reinforcing the dedication of their respective agencies in countering the narcotics trade, with Cole calling Bermúdez Cagua "a high-ranking narco-terrorist whose actions have fueled the flow of cocaine into the United States and sown chaos in Ecuador," and Cekada stressing that the reward issued broadcasts an unequivocal message: the era of such criminals profiting off American communities must end. The agencies are working in concert to address the issue head-on and protect neighborhoods nationwide from the barrage of threats posed by such illicit enterprises, which span the Americas.
Those in possession of any related information can reach out confidentially to the DEA through various electronic methods listed by the agency; the overarching goal being to shield towns and cities from the perilous operations orchestrated by figures like Bermúdez Cagua. The far-reaching implications of his organization's illicit activities underscore the importance of community awareness and collaboration with law enforcement efforts.
It's important to emphasize that all defendants, including Bermúdez Cagua, remain innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
