Adolfo Macías Villamar, the notorious Ecuadorian gang leader better known as “Fito,” has been extradited to the United States to face charges of international drug and arms trafficking.
Macías, who led the feared Los Choneros gang, was apprehended in June after spending over a year on the run following his dramatic escape from a high-security prison, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for multiple criminal convictions.
He is expected to appear before a US federal court on Monday, where, according to his lawyer, he will plead not guilty to the charges levelled against him.
Under Macías’ leadership, Los Choneros established strong ties with major criminal networks in Mexico and the Balkans. Authorities also suspect him of masterminding the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023.
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Once known for its tranquil beaches and tourism appeal, Ecuador has seen its image tarnished by surging violence, with Los Choneros widely blamed for turning the country into one of Latin America’s murder hotspots.
With Ecuador now a major transit hub for the global cocaine trade, authorities have extradited notorious gang leader Adolfo Macías Villamar, known as “Fito,” to the United States to face charges of drug and weapons trafficking.
More than 70% of the world’s cocaine shipments pass through Ecuadorian ports, as the country sits strategically between Colombia and Peru, the world’s top two cocaine producers.
Macías, head of the feared Los Choneros gang, was re-arrested in June after police discovered him hiding in an underground bunker beneath a luxury residence in Manta. Following his capture, he was transferred to La Roca, a maximum-security facility.
At the time of his arrest, President Daniel Noboa praised Ecuador’s security forces for the operation and confirmed plans for his extradition.
On Sunday, Ecuador’s prison authority confirmed that Macías had been handed over to US authorities. He is expected to appear before a federal court in Brooklyn on Monday, where he will plead not guilty, according to his lawyer, Alexei Schacht. Macías will remain in US custody while authorities determine his place of detention.
Earlier this year, Ecuadoreans voted to approve the extradition of citizens in a referendum called by President Noboa, who has pledged to tackle spiralling crime and gang violence. In March, Noboa urged the armies of the US, Europe, and Brazil to join his government’s fight against powerful criminal organisations destabilising the country.