The Biden-era label of Los Choneros as a foreign terrorist organization has escalated U.S. action, and the State Department is now dangling a $5 million reward for tips on Francisco Manuel Bermúdez Cagua, known as “Churron.” Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York have unsealed a superseding indictment with serious cocaine and firearms charges, and co-conspirators have already faced extradition or arrest. This piece lays out the charges, the international reach of the gang, key law enforcement statements, and how officials want the public to help locate this fugitive.
The State Department’s Narcotics Reward Program announced a reward for Bermúdez Cagua after naming his gang a transnational threat tied to narco-terror. Officials say Los Choneros funneled tons of cocaine through Central America and Mexico into the U.S., using brutality to protect shipments and territory. That drug flow has real consequences for American communities and for stability in Ecuador.
Bermúdez Cagua, 29, faces charges including international cocaine distribution conspiracy, international cocaine distribution, and using firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. The superseding indictment tied to the Eastern District of New York was unsealed in June, and prosecutors are treating this as a top-tier transnational narcotics case. The charges carry heavy penalties and signal a broad interagency push to dismantle the group’s leadership.
“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. That description is blunt and accurate given the violence officials attribute to the group. Law enforcement wants that leadership chain disrupted and tried in U.S. courts.
Co-conspirator José Adolfo Macías Villamar, nicknamed “Fito,” was extradited to New York in July 2025 to face the same international drug trafficking and firearms charges. Another alleged lieutenant, Darío Javier Peñafiel Nieto, known as “Topo,” is currently in custody in Ecuador and appears in the superseding indictment. These moves show cooperation across borders, something conservatives have long said is essential when dealing with criminal cartels.
The State Department formally designated Los Choneros as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in September 2025, raising the stakes for anyone aiding the group. The indictment frames the organization as one of the most violent transnational criminal enterprises operating out of Ecuador. Prosecutors say the network moved multi-ton quantities of cocaine on routes that touched South and Central America, Mexico, and the United States.
“We will use every tool in our arsenal to stop the brutal criminals who are trafficking deadly drugs into our country,” Chris Landberg of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs said. That rhetoric matches the scale of the problem, and the $5 million reward is meant to cut through fear and get actionable tips. Rewards like this are practical, results-oriented policy, not virtue signaling.
“Bermúdez Cagua is a high-ranking narco-terrorist whose actions have fueled the flow of cocaine into the United States and sown chaos in Ecuador,” U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration administrator Terrance Cole said. The DEA is clear about its priorities and the need to apply pressure on both smuggling networks and violent enforcers. Agency cooperation with prosecutors and foreign partners will be essential to turning tips into arrests.
The reward notice is an appeal to ordinary people who might know something but fear coming forward, and it underscores a wider enforcement strategy: pursue leaders, freeze logistics, and choke revenue streams. From a policy angle, this is the sort of aggressive, targeted action conservatives favor to protect communities and secure borders. It also sends a message to other transnational groups that leadership will not be safe outside their home countries.
Anyone with relevant information on Bermúdez Cagua’s whereabouts is urged to contact the DEA at Ecuadortips@dea.gov or +593-988-292-235; the agency says tips will be kept confidential. Those leads can turn into extradition requests, arrests, and prosecutions that weaken Los Choneros’ hold. This is a moment where citizen cooperation and interagency muscle can make a visible difference.
Investigations are ongoing, extraditions and prosecutions are moving forward, and officials on both sides of the border are coordinating to choke off supply and leadership. The $5 million reward is a blunt, effective tool aimed at breaking the chain that brings cocaine into our neighborhoods. Law and order requires pressure at every level, and that’s what the government is applying now.
Darnell Thompkins is a conservative opinion writer from Atlanta, GA, known for his insightful commentary on politics, culture, and community issues. With a passion for championing traditional values and personal responsibility, Darnell brings a thoughtful Southern perspective to the national conversation. His writing aims to inspire meaningful dialogue and advocate for policies that strengthen families and empower individuals.