Ecuador extradites leader of violent Ecuadorian drug gang to the United States

QUITO, Ecuador — Ecuador on Sunday extradited to the United States the leader of a violent Ecuadorian gang who relied on hitmen, bribes and military weapons to do business.

José Adolfo Macías Villamar, whose nickname is “Fito,” escaped from a prison in Ecuador last year and was recaptured late June. In April, a U.S. Attorney indicted him in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States.

Macías “was removed from the La Roca Detention Center under the custody of the National Police and Armed Forces for the appropriate proceedings in the context of an extradition process,” Ecuador’s government agency responsible for overseeing prisons, SNAI, said in a message sent to journalists.

Details of the handover were not specified.

A photograph released by SNAI showed Macías wearing a T-shirt, shorts, a bulletproof vest and helmet. Several police officers were guarding him at an undisclosed location.

The Ecuadorian will appear Monday before Brooklyn’s federal court “where he will plead not guilty,” Macías’ lawyer Alexei Schacht told The Associated Press via email. After that, he will be detained in a prison yet to be determined, Schacht added.

The extradition decision came after the United States sent a document to Ecuador offering guarantees for the respect of the rights of the 45-year-old criminal leader.

Since 2020, Macías has led “Los Choneros,” a criminal organization that emerged in the 1990s. The gang employed people to buy firearms and ammunition in the United States and smuggle them into Ecuador, according to April’s indictment. Cocaine would flow into the United States with the help of Mexican cartels. Together, the groups controlled key cocaine trafficking routes through Ecuador, violently targeting law enforcement, politicians, lawyers and civilians who stood in the way.

Macías escaped from a Guayaquil prison where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking, organized crime, and murder. He was recaptured a year and a half later on the country’s central coast.

Macías has cultivated a cult status among fellow gang members and the public in his home country. While behind bars in 2023, he released a video addressed to “the Ecuadorian people” while flanked by armed men. He also threw parties in prison, where he had access to everything from liquor to roosters for cockfighting matches.

Macías is the first Ecuadorian to be extradited to the U.S. from Ecuador, prison authorities said. Two other Ecuadorian drug traffickers have previously been handed over to the United States but from Colombia, where they were arrested.

 

Democrats invited Republicans to a town hall. Here’s what happened

Imagine getting an invitation to a town hall from someone across the political aisle. That was the idea behind a recent event sponsored by the Calhoun County Democratic Committee. They asked their members to invite Republican friends in an effort to bridge the divide. 

Anglican Church Archbishop accused of sexual misconduct

Archbishop Steve Wood, who heads the Anglican Church of North America, faces of sexual harassment allegations. This marks the latest in a string of crises to rock the small, conservative denomination.

NBA coach Chauncey Billups, player Terry Rozier arrested in FBI gambling probe

Rozier, a guard for the Miami Heat, was investigated by the NBA in 2023 in connection with suspicious gambling activity on a game that he exited early.

Its the deadliest year for ICE in decades. As detentions rise, the trend may continue

There have been at least 20 deaths in ICE custody in 2025, the deadliest year since 2004. As the agency is ramping up hiring and increasing detentions, concerns remain about how to stop the trend.

In an era of techno-dystopia, Sudan Archives’ ‘The BPM’ imagines a liberated future

On her stunning new album The BPM, the multi-instrumentalist Sudan Archives explores the freedom of augmented reality and technology through the sounds of club music.

Families describe deaths, violence in Alabama prisons as they push for change

Family members of people incarcerated in Alabama prisons packed a Wednesday meeting of the Legislative Prison Committee and then held a rally on the steps of the Capitol.

More Front Page Coverage