Ecuador's Notorious Drug Lord 'Fito' Extradited to Face Justice in the US

Adolfo Macías Villamar, the head of Ecuador's Los Choneros gang, has been extradited to the US for drug and weapon trafficking accusations. His capture follows an escape from prison and is linked to escalating violence in Ecuador, now a transit hub for global cocaine.

The notorious Ecuadorian drug lord Adolfo Macías Villamar, commonly referred to as "Fito," has been extradited to the United States to face multiple charges pertaining to drug and arms trafficking. Fito was captured in June after an escape from a high-security prison where he was serving a 34-year sentence for various crimes. He is expected to appear in a federal court in Brooklyn on Monday, where he will plead not guilty, as confirmed by his attorney to Reuters.

Fito is recognized as a major figure in the Los Choneros gang, an organization with strong connections to influential criminal syndicates from Mexico and the Balkans. He is also alleged to have orchestrated the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio earlier this year.

The emergence of Los Choneros has contributed significantly to Ecuador's alarming rise in violence, transforming the nation from a once-popular tourist destination into one grappling with one of the highest murder rates in Latin America. Currently, Ecuador's ports serve as a critical route for over 70% of the world's cocaine production, sandwiched as it is between Colombia and Peru — the leading producers of cocaine.

Fito’s recapture in June followed a police investigation that led them to an underground hideout located beneath an opulent home in the coastal city of Manta. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa commended the security forces for their efforts in apprehending Fito and pledged that he would be extradited to the US.

On Sunday, he was transferred from his incarceration in Ecuador to US authorities. His lawyer, Alexei Schacht, stated, "Mr. Macías and I will appear tomorrow before the Brooklyn federal court ... where he will plead not guilty. After that, he will be relocated to a yet-to-be-determined prison." The extradition comes on the heels of a referendum in which Ecuadorians voted to allow citizens to be extradited, a move initiated by President Noboa as part of his broader strategy to combat soaring crime rates.

In March this year, Noboa expressed ambitions for international military collaboration, seeking assistance from the US, European nations, and Brazil to bolster his "war" against burgeoning criminal enterprises within Ecuador.