Adolfo Macías Villamar, a prominent Ecuadorean gang leader, has been extradited to the United States to face accusations of drug and arms trafficking.
Known by his alias “Fito,” he was recaptured in June, approximately one year after his escape from a high-security prison where he was serving a 34-year sentence for numerous criminal offenses.
He is scheduled to appear before a US federal court on Monday, where he is expected to plead not guilty to charges of international drug and weapon trafficking, as stated by his lawyer to Reuters.
Macías led the Los Choneros gang, which has ties to influential criminal organizations in Mexico and the Balkans. He is also a suspect in the assassination order of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023.
Los Choneros is held responsible for Ecuador’s transformation from a tourism destination to a country struggling with one of the highest murder rates in the region.
Over 70% of the world’s cocaine currently passes through Ecuador’s ports, with the country’s strategic location between the major cocaine exporters, Colombia and Peru, contributing to the issue.
In June, police located Macías in an underground bunker beneath a luxury home in the city of Manta and transferred him to La Roca, a maximum-security prison. Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa commended the security forces for the capture and announced that Macías would be extradited to the US.
Ecuador’s prison authorities confirmed that Macías was removed from his prison cell on Sunday to be transferred to US authorities.
According to his lawyer, Alexei Schacht, Macías will appear before the Brooklyn federal court tomorrow, where he will plead not guilty. Afterward, he will be held in a prison yet to be determined.
Ecuadoreans recently voted in favor of allowing the extradition of citizens in a referendum initiated by President Noboa, who vowed to combat rising crime levels.
In March, Noboa informed the BBC of his intention to enlist the support of US, European, and Brazilian armies in his “war” against criminal gangs.
