TikTok influencer Michelle Jamileth Macías Penarrieta has been arrested in Colombia alongside her mother over an alleged $25.8 million money laundering scheme.
The 23-year-old online personality and her mother, Inda Mariela Penarrieta Tuarez, were taken into custody by law enforcement on Sunday in Sabana de Torres, a small town in Santander Department in northeastern Colombia.
The two women are the daughter and wife of infamous Ecuadorian narcotrafficker Adolfo "Fito" Macias, the leader of the violent Los Choneros criminal syndicate.
Luxury Lifestyle and Social Media Following
Before her arrest, Michelle Macías Penarrieta built a massive following online under the name Queen Michelle, regularly sharing videos displaying an opulent lifestyle.
She accumulated 65 million followers on TikTok, where she frequently posed with large stacks of cash, according to reports by British newspaper The Sun and Colombian news outlet El Colombiano.
Her TikTok account was taken down following her arrest. Ecuadorian authorities allege that the high-end lifestyle she showcased was funded by dirty money linked to her father's criminal enterprise.
Macías Penarrieta also pursued a career as a pop singer, publishing several music videos on YouTube. In one video, she appeared on a ranch surrounded by horses and luxury vehicles, though that clip has also been taken down.
Money Laundering Allegations and Surveillance Operation
Law enforcement agencies accuse the mother and daughter of facilitating a $25.8 million financial laundering scheme to legitimate illicit gang profits.
In March, Ecuadorian investigators indicted 17 individuals in a money laundering case related to Fito's finances, accusing at least four companies of transferring the drug lord's funds to mask their illegal origin, according to The Sun.
Authorities in Ecuador further allege that Macías Penarrieta and Penarrieta Tuarez attempted to form alliances with Colombian criminal organizations to assist in drugs and arms trafficking as well as money laundering.
The mother and daughter had been residing in Sabana de Torres for four months before their arrest, having previously spent time in the Colombian cities of Bucaramanga and Medellin.
Colombian authorities located the suspects through a surveillance operation before swarming the residence to take both women into custody.
Escape and Extradition of Gang Leader Fito Macias
The arrests follow an international manhunt for Adolfo "Fito" Macias, whose organization, Los Choneros, was designated as a terrorist group by the United States government last year.
In January 2024, Fito escaped from an Ecuadorian prison where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking and murder convictions.
His escape triggered a surge of street violence across Ecuador, leading the government to declare a state of emergency. During the unrest in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city and principal port, gang members held television news anchors at gunpoint during a live broadcast.
Fito was recaptured last year and extradited to the United States. He currently faces seven federal charges, including drug and weapons trafficking, in a New York court and faces 20 years to life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty.
International Law Enforcement Response
Colombia President Abelardo De La Espriella celebrated the operation in a statement published on X, releasing images and video footage of the women in custody.
De La Espriella described the suspects as "the wife and daughter of alias 'Fito,' who led Los Choneros, one of Ecuador's most violent criminal organizations, dedicated to international drug trafficking."
He confirmed that Colombia's national police, army, and attorney general's office executed the investigation and arrest in coordination with Ecuadorian authorities and the FBI.
De La Espriella stated that Ecuadorian officials are investigating the women "for using shell companies to launder the organization's money," adding: "I'll gladly send them to my good friend, President Daniel Noboa, so they can face Ecuadorian justice."
"Colombia will not be a refuge for the finances of transnational crime," De La Espriella wrote. "In the era of the Tiger, the family members of bandits who commit crimes with them will not go unpunished."
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa responded to the post, confirming the transfer and prosecution: "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," Noboa added. "The money that buys weapons, pays hitmen, and sustains extortion. It is the structure with which they terrorize Ecuadorian families."
