Fito, the powerful Ecuadorean drug lord who had previously escaped from prison, is now back in custody after being extradited to the U.S. where he faces multiple criminal charges. The extradition comes as Ecuador tackles rising gang violence and drug trafficking, with calls for international support in their fight against organized crime.
Ecuador's Notorious Drug Lord 'Fito' Extradited to Face Justice in the U.S.
Ecuador's Notorious Drug Lord 'Fito' Extradited to Face Justice in the U.S.
Adolfo Macías Villamar, the infamous leader of the Los Choneros gang, has been extradited to the United States to confront serious drug and arms trafficking charges.
Adolfo Macías Villamar, known as "Fito", has been extradited to the United States to respond to allegations of drug and arms trafficking. The notorious leader of Ecuador’s Los Choneros gang was captured in June following a dramatic escape from a high-security prison, where he was serving a lengthy 34-year sentence. Macías is scheduled to appear in a federal court in Brooklyn on Monday, with his lawyer stating that he plans to plead not guilty to the international charges he faces.
Los Choneros, the gang led by Macías, has been implicated in a number of serious crimes, including links to large-scale drug trafficking networks in Mexico and Europe, and is suspected of orchestrating the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023. Under his leadership, the gang has significantly contributed to the deteriorating security situation in Ecuador, which has seen its murder rate soar and morphed from a tourist destination into a hotspot of criminal violence.
Ecuador has become a crucial transit point for cocaine, with over 70% of the global supply passing through its ports, situated between Colombia and Peru, the world's largest cocaine producers. In June, police located Macías in a concealed bunker beneath an upscale property in the coastal city of Manta, leading to his recapture. After being held in La Roca, a maximum-security facility, he was transferred to U.S. authorities earlier this week.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa had campaigned for the extradition of citizens in his efforts to combat escalating crime, a move supported by a recent referendum. In earlier statements, Noboa expressed the need for collaboration with international divisions of military forces to tackle the rampant gang violence besieging the country.
