Ecuadorean gang leader Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as “Fito,” is scheduled to appear in federal court in the United States, where he will plead not guilty to international drug and weapons trafficking charges, according to his attorney.
Ecuador extradited the prominent drug trafficker on Sunday, one month after his recapture following a 2024 escape from a maximum-security prison, the country’s prison authority confirmed.
Macias, who leads the Los Choneros gang, was serving a 34-year sentence at a Guayaquil prison for multiple crimes, including drug trafficking, organized crime, and murder.
The flight carrying Macias arrived in New York State Sunday evening. His lawyer informed Reuters that Macias “will plead not guilty” when appearing before the Brooklyn federal court on Monday.
The US Attorney’s Office filed charges against Macias in April for suspected cocaine distribution, conspiracy, and firearms violations, including weapons smuggling. The former taxi driver turned crime boss agreed in a Quito court last week to face extradition to the US.
Macias represents the first Ecuadorean extradited by his country under new legislation enacted last year, following a referendum where President Daniel Noboa sought approval for enhanced measures in his campaign against criminal gangs.
Ecuador, formerly a peaceful buffer between major cocaine exporters Colombia and Peru, has experienced escalating violence as rival gangs connected to Mexican and Colombian cartels compete for territorial control.
Following Macias’s January 2024 prison escape, Noboa declared Ecuador in a state of “internal armed conflict” and deployed military forces and tanks to “neutralize” the gangs. Human rights organizations have criticized this approach.
As a drug lord, Macias developed cult-like status among gang members and segments of the public. While imprisoned in 2023, he released a video message to “the Ecuadorian people” surrounded by armed men. He reportedly hosted prison parties with access to alcohol and roosters for cockfighting.
Los Choneros maintains connections with Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, Colombia’s Gulf Clan (considered the world’s largest cocaine exporter), and Balkan criminal organizations, according to the Ecuadorian Organized Crime Observatory.
His prison escape triggered widespread violence and extensive military and police recapture operations. The government issued “wanted” posters offering $1 million for information leading to his arrest.
On June 25, authorities discovered Macias hiding in a bunker beneath floor tiles in a luxury Manta home, the operational center for Los Choneros. Noboa immediately declared his intention to extradite him, stating, “the sooner the better.”
“We will gladly send him and let him answer to North American law,” Noboa told CNN at the time.
Government data indicates that over 70 percent of global cocaine production now transits through Ecuador’s ports. In 2024, the country seized a record 294 tonnes of drugs, primarily cocaine.
Details regarding the handover to US authorities and extradition procedures were not disclosed. The US government has not yet issued an official statement following the extradition.
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