A TikTok influencer and the daughter of a notorious drug lord has been arrested as authorities investigate an alleged $25.8 million money-laundering operation linked 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, which the US designated as a terrorist group 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 led Ecuador’s government to declare a state of emergency after violence spread across the streets of Guayaquil, the country’s largest city. During the unrest, gang members held news anchors at gunpoint during a live television broadcast.
Fito was recaptured and extradited to the US last year. He is now facing seven charges, including drug and weapons trafficking, in a New York court and could receive a sentence ranging from 20 years to life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty.
As her father ran his criminal empire, Michelle built a huge online following under the name Queen Michelle.
On TikTok, the influencer displayed a lavish lifestyle and posed with large stacks of cash for her 65 million followers, according to The Sun and Colombian outlet El Colombiano. Her account was removed after her arrest.
Michelle Jamileth Macías Penarrieta, 23, an influencer and daughter of Ecuadorian drug lord Adolfo ‘Fito’ Macias, has been arrested over alleged money laundering
Michelle, who used the name Queen Michelle, displayed her luxury lifestyle and posed with large amounts of cash for her 65 million TikTok followers
Michelle was arrested with her mother, Inda Mariela Penarrieta Tuarez, in Colombia on Sunday. The pair are accused of facilitating an alleged $25.8 million money-laundering scheme
Fito was recaptured and extradited to the US last year after escaping an Ecuadorian prison in January 2024. He is facing a possible life sentence 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; that video has since been removed.
Ecuadorian authorities allege that the extravagant lifestyle Michelle displayed was financed with illicit funds connected to her father’s criminal activities.
In March, Ecuadorian investigators indicted 17 people in a money-laundering case tied to Fito’s finances. At least four companies were accused of moving the drug lord’s money through transactions designed to make it appear legitimate, The Sun reported.
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Authorities in Ecuador also allege that Michelle and Inda sought to form alliances with Colombian criminal organizations to support drug and arms trafficking, as well as money laundering.
The mother and daughter had reportedly spent four months in the town where they were arrested after previously living in the Colombian cities of Bucaramanga and Medellin, The Sun reported.
A surveillance operation led investigators to the pair’s location. Colombian authorities then raided the residence and took both women into custody.
Colombia’s president, Abelardo De La Espriella, welcomed the arrests in a statement on X and posted photographs and video of the mother and daughter being detained.
‘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.’
