QUITO — Police in Ecuador said they have captured the fugitive leader of a powerful criminal gang.

Fabricio Colón Pico, the leader of Los Lobos, had been on the run since escaping from jail on Jan. 8.

Officials said they had traced Colón Pico, who had dyed his hair blonde in an effort to change his appearance, to the town of Puerto Quito.

Ecuador’s attorney-general, Diana Salazar, has accused Colón Pico of plotting to kill her.

The 44-year-old was one of the most wanted people in the country. His gang has been accused of planning last year’s murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicenio.

Los Lobos is estimated to have some 8,000 members and is thought to have links to the Mexican Jalisco New Generation cartel.

Its members engage in drug trafficking and are accused of working as hitmen.

Police said Colón Pico had been detained in the early hours of Monday “after several months of investigative work”.

Colón Pico was one of more than 30 inmates to escape from Riobamba prison on Jan. 8 during a wave of prison riots and violent attacks which shocked the Andean country.

The prison service said he had taken advantage of the chaos created by rioting inmates to walk out of the jail.

Twenty of the fugitives were quickly rearrested, but Colón Pico managed to evade capture for months. Police have not yet said to which prison he will be taken.

The arrest comes just hours after a majority of Ecuadoreans backed a raft of tougher security measures in a referendum.

Ecuador has seen its murder rate shoot up as criminal gangs such as Los Lobos have unleashed a wave of violence in its major cities and ports.

President Daniel Noboa has welcomed the approval of measures which will allow soldiers to continue patrolling the streets and the imposition of tougher sentences for drug traffickers.

The president said the government would now “have more tools to fight crime and restore peace to Ecuadoran families”. — BBC