Ecuador’s biggest drug lord ‘Fito’ extradited to US, to plead ‘not guilty’

Adolfo Macias, who was recaptured successful June aft escaping from a situation past year, volition look successful a New York authorities tribunal connected Monday.

Ecuadorean pack person Adolfo Macias Villamar, besides known arsenic “Fito”, is acceptable to look successful a national tribunal successful the United States, wherever helium volition plead not blameworthy to planetary charges of cause and weapons trafficking, his lawyer says.

The Ecuadorean authorities connected Sunday extradited the notorious cause trafficker, a period aft helium was recaptured pursuing a 2024 escape from a maximum-security penitentiary, the country’s situation authorization said.

Macias, the person of the Los Choneros gang, was serving a 34-year condemnation astatine a situation successful Guayaquil for a slew of crimes, including cause trafficking, organised crime, and murder.

The formation transporting Macias landed successful New York authorities connected Sunday night, the study said. His lawyer told the Reuters quality bureau that Macias “will plead not guilty” earlier the Brooklyn national tribunal connected Monday.

Details of the handover to the US authorities and the extradition were not specified. The US authorities has yet to contented an authoritative connection pursuing the extradition.

The US Attorney’s Office had filed charges successful April against Macias connected suspicion of cocaine distribution, conspiracy and firearms violations, including weapons smuggling.

The erstwhile taxi operator turned transgression brag agreed successful a Quito court past week to beryllium extradited to the US to look the charges.

He is the archetypal Ecuadorean extradited by his state since a caller measurement was written into instrumentality past year, aft a referendum successful which President Daniel Noboa sought the support of moves to boost his warfare connected transgression gangs.

Ecuador, erstwhile a peaceful haven betwixt the world’s 2 apical cocaine exporters, Colombia and Peru, has seen unit erupt successful caller years arsenic rival gangs with ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels vie for control.

Cult following

Soon aft Macias escaped from situation successful January 2024, Noboa declared Ecuador to beryllium successful a authorities of “internal equipped conflict” and ordered the subject and tanks into the streets to “neutralise” the gangs. The determination has been criticised by quality rights organisations.

As a cause lord, Macias cultivated a cult presumption among chap pack members and the public.

While down bars successful 2023, helium released a video addressed to “the Ecuadorian people” portion flanked by equipped men. He besides threw parties successful prison, wherever helium had entree to everything from liquor to roosters for cockfighting matches.

Macias’s Los Choneros has ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, Colombia’s Gulf Clan, which is considered the world’s largest cocaine exporter, arsenic good arsenic Balkan mafias, according to the Ecuadorian Organised Crime Observatory.

His flight from situation prompted wide unit and a monolithic subject and constabulary recapture operation, including authorities “wanted” posters offering $1m for accusation starring to his arrest.

On June 25, Macias was recovered hiding successful a bunker concealed nether level tiles successful a luxury location successful the sportfishing larboard of Manta, the centre of operations for Los Choneros. Noboa declared helium would beryllium extradited, “the sooner the better”.

“We volition gladly nonstop him and fto him reply to the North American law,” Noboa told CNN astatine the time.

More than 70 percent of each cocaine produced successful the satellite present passes done Ecuador’s ports, according to authorities data. In 2024, the state seized a grounds 294 tonnes of drugs, chiefly cocaine.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies