The notorious leader of the Los Choneros gang will face serious allegations in federal court as Ecuador grapples with escalating crime linked to drug trafficking.
**Ecuador Drug Lord 'Fito' Extradited to Face Charges in US**
**Ecuador Drug Lord 'Fito' Extradited to Face Charges in US**
Ecuadorian gang leader Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias 'Fito,' has been extradited to the US on drug and arms trafficking charges after being recaptured.
Adolfo Macías Villamar, infamously known as "Fito," has been extradited from Ecuador to the United States to stand trial for serious charges related to drug and arms trafficking. The extradition comes after his recapture in June, nearly a year following his escape from a high-security prison where he was serving a 34-year sentence for various offenses.
Fito, the notorious leader of the Los Choneros gang, is accused of having close ties to significant criminal organizations in Mexico and the Balkans. He is also under suspicion for orchestrating the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023. His gang, Los Choneros, is often blamed for the alarming rise in homicide rates in Ecuador, a nation that has transitioned from a tranquil tourist destination to one of the most dangerous countries in the region.
Reports indicate that over 70% of the world's cocaine is routed through Ecuador, strategically positioned between the leading cocaine-producing countries, Colombia and Peru. Fito was apprehended in June when authorities located him in a concealed bunker beneath an upscale residence in Manta, leading to his transfer to La Roca, a maximum-security facility.
President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador expressed appreciation for the capture and confirmed Fito's impending extradition to the US. Just prior to the transfer, Ecuador's prison authorities confirmed that Fito would be handed over to US officials. His attorney, Alexei Schacht, stated that Fito will enter a not guilty plea at a Brooklyn federal court on Monday.
Noboa's administration has been actively addressing the issue of rising crime rates in Ecuador. Earlier, he conducted a referendum giving citizens the power to approve the extradition of their own nationals. This controversial stance is part of a broader strategy that Noboa described as a "war" on criminal activities, calling for support from US, European, and Brazilian military forces in the fight against gang violence.
