MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ecuador extradites alias “Fito” to the United States

If convicted, Macías could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years

Ecuadorean drug trafficking gang leader José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias “Fito” was extradited late Sunday to the United States. The head of the “Los Choneros” organization was considered one of the country's most notorious criminals, whose escape from jail in 2024 triggered a violence wave that forced President Daniel Noboa to declare an internal “armed conflict.” Fito was recaptured on June 25.

“Adolfo Macías, alias 'Fito,' was removed from the La Roca Detention Center under the custody of the National Police and Armed Forces for the purposes of extradition proceedings,” Ecuador's prison board said in a statement.

He was transferred from the La Roca maximum-security prison in Guayaquil to a US Department of Justice aircraft for a flight to New York, landing at MacArthur Airport in Long Island after a six-hour journey. Macías had agreed to his extradition on July 11, following a formal request from the US on July 8.

He was to appear in a Brooklyn court facing seven drug and arms trafficking charges filed in April 2025 by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. These charges include conspiracy to distribute cocaine internationally, smuggling goods, and firearms-related offenses.

While the crimes could carry a life sentence, the extradition agreement states he will not face that punishment, but could receive up to 50 years in prison. His lawyer has indicated Fito will plead not guilty to all charges.

Fito became the first Ecuadorean to be extradited by his own country since the possibility was re-established through a referendum in April last year, promoted by President Noboa. This legal reform allows Ecuadoreans to be extradited for transnational crimes. President Noboa celebrated the extradition, stating, “Goodbye forever, Fito,” linking it to the success of the referendum and his government's efforts against “narco-terrorism.”

At the time of his escape, Fito was serving a 34-year sentence for organized crime, drug trafficking, and murder. The New York prosecutors claim that Fito's “Los Choneros” gang collaborated with Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, controlling major cocaine trafficking routes from South America through Central America and Mexico to the US.

If convicted, Macías could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.