A TikTok influencer and the daughter of an infamous drug lord has been arrested as authorities investigate an alleged $25.8 million money-laundering operation connected to her father.
Michelle Jamileth Macías Penarrieta, 23, was detained with her mother, Inda Mariela Penarrieta Tuarez, on Sunday in Sabana de Torres, a small town in northeastern Colombia.
The pair are the daughter and wife of Ecuadorian narcotrafficker Adolfo ‘Fito’ Macias, leader of the Los Choneros gang. The United States designated the group as a terrorist organization last year.
In January 2024, Fito escaped from an Ecuadorian prison, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking and murder.
His escape triggered a state of emergency in Ecuador as violence spread through Guayaquil, the country’s largest city. During the unrest, gang members held television news anchors at gunpoint during a live broadcast.
Fito was recaptured and extradited to the United States last year. He now faces seven charges, including drug and weapons trafficking, in a New York court, where he could receive a sentence ranging from 20 years to life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty.
As her father built his criminal empire, Michelle developed a huge online following under the name Queen Michelle.
The influencer regularly displayed an extravagant lifestyle and posed with large piles of cash for her 65 million TikTok followers, according to The Sun and Colombian outlet El Colombiano. Her account was removed following her arrest.
Michelle Jamileth Macías Penarrieta, 23, an influencer and daughter of Ecuadorian drug lord Adolfo ‘Fito’ Macias, was arrested in connection with alleged money laundering
Using the name Queen Michelle, Michelle showcased luxury goods and posed with huge stacks of cash for her 65 million TikTok followers
Michelle was arrested with her mother, Inda Mariela Penarrieta Tuarez, in Colombia on Sunday. Authorities accuse them of helping facilitate a $25.8 million money-laundering scheme
Fito was recaptured last year and extradited to the United States after escaping an Ecuadorian prison in January 2024. He is now facing up to life in prison in a New York court
Michelle has also pursued a career as a pop singer, releasing several songs on YouTube. One music video showed her at a ranch surrounded by horses and luxury vehicles, but that video has since been removed.
Ecuadorian authorities allege that the lavish lifestyle Michelle presented online was financed with illicit funds linked to her father’s criminal activities.
In March, Ecuadorian investigators indicted 17 people in a money-laundering case connected to Fito’s finances. Authorities accused at least four companies of moving his money through transactions designed to make it appear legitimate, The Sun reported.
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Officials also allege that Michelle and Inda sought alliances with Colombian criminal organizations to help facilitate drug and arms trafficking, as well as money laundering.
The mother and daughter had reportedly lived in the town where they were arrested for four months, after previously staying in the Colombian cities of Bucaramanga and Medellin, The Sun reported.
Authorities found them during a surveillance operation before Colombian officers moved in and arrested both women at the residence.
Colombia’s president, Abelardo De La Espriella, praised the arrests in a statement on X and posted images and video showing the mother and daughter being taken into custody.
‘They are the wife and daughter of alias “Fito,” who led Los Choneros, one of Ecuador’s most violent criminal organizations, dedicated to international drug trafficking,’ De La Espriella wrote in Spanish.
Michelle was also a wannabe pop star who released several songs on YouTube. Her TikTok account and some of her songs were taken down after she was arrested
Ecuadorian authorities allege that Michelle’s lifestyle was funded by dirty money tied to her father’s criminal empire. A suitcase full of cash featured in one of her TikToks is pictured
Colombia President Abelardo De La Espriella said that the arrest was the result of a joint effort by Colombian and Ecuadorian authorities and the FBI
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said: ‘This is how it’s done, Abelardo: together and with results. We captured them in Colombia, and they will face justice in Ecuador’
‘Ecuadorian authorities are investigating them for using shell companies to launder the organization’s money,’ his statement continued. ‘I’ll gladly send them to my good friend, President Daniel Noboa, so they can face Ecuadorian justice.’
The Colombian president said that his country’s army, national police and attorney general’s office worked with Ecuadorian authorities and the FBI to carry out the investigation and arrest of Michelle and Inda.
‘Colombia will not be a refuge for the finances of transnational crime,’ his statement said. ‘In the era of the Tiger, the family members of bandits who commit crimes with them will not go unpunished.’
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa replied to the statement and said: ‘This is how it’s done, Abelardo: together and with results. We captured them in Colombia, and they will face justice in Ecuador.
‘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.’
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