Ecuador’s most notorious drug lord, Adolfo Macías Villamar widely known as “Fito” has been extradited to the United States to face international charges of drug and arms trafficking. Macías, the feared leader of the Los Choneros gang, was flown out of Ecuador on Sunday after being held in the maximum-security La Roca prison since his dramatic recapture in June.
Fito had escaped from prison in early 2024 while serving a 34-year sentence for a host of crimes, including organized crime, drug trafficking, and murder. After months on the run, he was found in an underground bunker beneath a luxury residence in the coastal city of Manta.
He is set to appear before a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on Monday. His lawyer, Alexei Schacht, confirmed that Macías will plead not guilty and await trial in a U.S. detention facility yet to be determined.
Macías’s extradition marks a major development in Ecuador’s escalating war against organized crime. Los Choneros, the gang he led, has long-standing links with powerful criminal syndicates in Mexico and the Balkans. The group is also suspected of orchestrating political violence, including the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023.
Ecuador, once a relatively peaceful nation, has been plunged into crisis in recent years due to the rapid expansion of drug trafficking networks. More than 70% of the world’s cocaine is believed to transit through the country, which lies between Colombia and Peru—two of the top cocaine-producing countries globally.
President Daniel Noboa, who has declared a full-scale war on drug cartels, praised security forces for recapturing Fito and emphasized his commitment to international cooperation in combating transnational crime. Noboa has called for joint operations with the U.S., European, and Brazilian militaries.
Earlier this year, Ecuadorians voted in favor of allowing the extradition of nationals involved in organized crime—a move spearheaded by Noboa to dismantle gang influence and restore public safety.
Fito’s extradition underscores Ecuador’s intensified stance against organized crime and marks a new phase in its efforts to reclaim control from violent drug cartels.
