A TikTok influencer and the daughter of Ecuadorian drug lord Adolfo ‘Fito’ Macías has been arrested in Colombia alongside her mother over an alleged $25.8 million (£19.2 million) money-laundering scheme.
Michelle Jamileth Macías Penarrieta, 23, and Inda Mariela Penarrieta Tuarez were detained on Sunday in Sabana de Torres, a town in north-eastern Colombia, following a surveillance operation.
The women are the daughter and wife of Macías, the leader of the Los Choneros gang, which was designated a terrorist organisation by the United States last year.
Arrests linked to alleged Los Choneros money laundering
Ecuadorian authorities allege that Michelle and her mother used shell companies to disguise money linked to Macías’s criminal empire. They are also accused of attempting to establish links with Colombian criminal organisations involved in drug and arms trafficking and money laundering.
Investigators indicted 17 people in Ecuador in March in a case concerning Macías’s finances. Authorities allege that at least four companies were used to move money connected to the drug lord and make it appear legitimate.
The mother and daughter had reportedly spent time in Bucaramanga and Medellín before staying for four months in Sabana de Torres. Colombian authorities moved in after locating them at a residence in the town.
Michelle became widely known online as Queen Michelle, building a following of 65 million on TikTok. She frequently displayed a luxury lifestyle and posed with large quantities of cash, including a suitcase full of money featured in one of her videos.
Her TikTok account was removed after the arrest. Several of her YouTube songs were also taken down, including a music video in which she appeared at a ranch surrounded by horses and luxury vehicles.
Authorities allege that the lifestyle showcased by the influencer was funded by illicit money connected to her father’s activities. She had also released several songs as she pursued a career as a pop singer.
Macías escaped from an Ecuadorian prison in January 2024 while serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking and murder. His escape prompted Ecuador’s government to declare a state of emergency after violence erupted in Guayaquil, while gang members held television news anchors at gunpoint during a live broadcast.
He was later recaptured and extradited to the United States. He is facing seven charges, including drug and weapons trafficking, in a New York court and could receive a sentence ranging from 20 years to life. He has pleaded not guilty.
Colombia’s president, Abelardo De La Espriella, said the arrests resulted from co-operation between Colombia’s army, national police and attorney general’s office, Ecuadorian authorities and the FBI.
“Colombia will not be a refuge for the finances of transnational crime,” he said in a statement. “In the era of the Tiger, the family members of bandits who commit crimes with them will not go unpunished.”
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa welcomed the arrests, saying: “This is how it’s done, Abelardo: together and with results. We captured them in Colombia, and they will face justice in Ecuador.”
He added: “They are called to trial for money laundering for the Choneros. The money that buys weapons, pays hitmen, and sustains extortion. It is the structure with which they terrorize Ecuadorian families.”
