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Ecuador’s notorious gang leader Adolfo Macías Villamar, known as “Fito”, has been extradited to the United States to face international charges of drug and weapons trafficking, according to U.S. and Ecuadorian authorities.
Macías, the powerful leader of the Los Choneros criminal gang, was handed over to U.S. officials on Sunday and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Brooklyn on Monday, where he will plead not guilty, his attorney Alexei Schacht confirmed to Reuters.
Fito’s extradition marks a major development in Ecuador’s fight against organized crime, which has spiraled in recent years, turning the once-tranquil nation into one of Latin America’s most violent countries.
Long Criminal History and Global Links
Fito had been serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking, murder, and other crimes when he escaped from a high-security prison in 2023, triggering a nationwide manhunt.
In June 2025, police recaptured him in an underground bunker beneath a luxury residence in the coastal city of Manta. He was then transferred to La Roca, a maximum-security facility.
His gang, Los Choneros, has been linked to powerful Mexican cartels and criminal groups in the Balkans, and is believed to be behind a surge in violent crime and drug-related killings across Ecuador.
Fito is also a key suspect in the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023, an event that shocked the nation and fueled growing calls for security reform.
Ecuador’s Drug Route Crisis
Ecuador has become a major conduit for cocaine trafficking, due to its strategic location between Colombia and Peru—the world’s top two cocaine producers. Currently, more than 70% of global cocaine shipments pass through Ecuador’s ports, authorities say.
The influence of drug cartels has deeply penetrated Ecuador’s institutions, leading to prison riots, assassinations, and a collapse of public trust in security forces.
Noboa’s Anti-Crime Agenda
President Daniel Noboa, who has pledged to wage war on criminal gangs, praised security forces for Fito’s recapture and pushed for his extradition.
Earlier this year, Ecuadorians voted in favor of allowing the extradition of citizens, a significant legal shift, following a national referendum spearheaded by Noboa to combat the wave of violence.
In a BBC interview in March, Noboa called on the U.S., European, and Brazilian militaries to join Ecuador’s war against transnational criminal organizations.
Fito’s removal to U.S. soil is seen as a symbolic and strategic win for the Noboa administration, though many challenges in Ecuador’s battle against organized crime remain.
