Ecuadorian gang leader Adolfo Macías Villamar, known widely as “Fito”, has been extradited to the United States to face drug and arms trafficking charges, US and Ecuadorian authorities confirmed on Sunday.
Fito, the former head of the Los Choneros gang, was taken from La Roca maximum-security prison early Sunday and handed over to US federal agents. He is set to appear Monday before a federal court in Brooklyn, where he will plead not guilty, according to his attorney Alexei Schacht.
Macías was recaptured in June after a months-long manhunt that began when he escaped from a high-security prison in early 2024 while serving a 34-year sentence for organized crime, drug trafficking, and murder.
Police located him hiding in an underground bunker beneath a luxury home in the coastal city of Manta.
Fito’s gang, Los Choneros, is considered one of Ecuador’s most violent criminal organisations and is linked to Mexican and Balkan cartels.
Authorities also suspect him of orchestrating the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio during Ecuador’s 2023 election season.
The rise of Los Choneros is widely blamed for Ecuador's transformation from a peaceful tourist destination to a hotbed of cartel violence, now one of Latin America's deadliest countries. Over 70% of the world’s cocaine supply is believed to pass through Ecuador’s ports, strategically located between Colombia and Peru, the world’s top cocaine producers.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who has declared a "war" on organized crime, hailed Macías' recapture last month and pledged to follow through with his extradition to the United States.
In a public referendum, Ecuadorians voted in favor of allowing the extradition of nationals, giving Noboa greater tools to combat gang violence.
Speaking to the BBC earlier this year, Noboa urged military support from the U.S., Europe, and Brazil to confront the region’s growing drug-fueled security crisis.
Fito will remain in U.S. custody at a facility yet to be determined as proceedings begin.
Source: BBC
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