The most notorious gang lord, José Adolfo Macías Villamar of Ecuador, has been extradited to the United States.
According to Associated Press, Ecuador on Sunday, July 20, extradited Villamar, known as “Fito” by his allies, to the US, where he is facing drug and arms trafficking charges.
The Los Choneros gang leader was arrested again in June after he escaped from the prison last year.
SNAI, Ecuador’s government agency that oversees prisons, stated that Macías “was removed from the La Roca Detention Centre under the custody of the National Police and Armed Forces for the appropriate proceedings in the context of an extradition process.”
As per the aviation agency of the city, the US Department of Justice plane departed from Guayaquil after 2 pm after taking the drug kingpin from a maximum-security prison of the port city.
Later in a picture released by the Ecuadorian prison, Macias was seen being escorted by heavily armed police, wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest.
Macías was charged in New York in April 2025 for importing thousands of pounds of cocaine into the US.
He is also accused of ordering the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023.
For the unversed, Macías has been leading the powerful crime group, Los Choneros, since 2020. The criminal organisation is accused of sending tonnes of cocaine from Ecuador to other countries.
