Ecuador's most notorious drug lord taken to U.S., plans to plead not guilty
José Adolfo 'Fito' Macías Villamar was arrested in Ecuador on June 25 and had been detained there since, following his escape from a prison in Guayaquil in early 2024. He was extradited to the United States on Sunday, according to a memorandum from the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
12 hours ago
- New York Times
Uber's Festering Sexual Assault Problem
Uber received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct in the United States almost every eight minutes on average between 2017 and 2022, sealed court records show, a level far more pervasive than what the company has disclosed. Publicly, the ride-sharing service proclaimed it was one of the safest options for travel, with aggressive media campaigns and polished reports on its website about the rarity of serious attacks. Inside Uber, teams of data scientists and safety experts spent years studying the problem. The company tested tools that proved effective at making trips safer, including sophisticated matching algorithms, mandatory video recording and pairing female passengers with female drivers. Still, Uber delayed or did not require its drivers to adopt some of the most promising programs, nor did it warn passengers about factors it linked to attacks, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees, internal documents and court records. Hundreds of the records have been under seal as part of large-scale sexual assault litigation against Uber. Uber's decisions about safety came as it prioritized growing its user base, avoiding costly lawsuits and protecting its business model, which classifies drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, the records show. The distinction is important to Uber. Contractors are much cheaper than employees because the company does not need to pay benefits or overtime, and it also means drivers are minimally supervised and not subject to the same labor rules as traditional employees. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fact Check: A look at White House claims about Canada's fentanyl fight 'failure'
The United States made good on its promise to slap hefty tariffs on Canada Friday as the countries failed to reach a trade deal by U.S. President Donald Trump's deadline. A fact sheet from the White House said Canada's "failure" to address the opioid crisis was part of the reason for going ahead with the 35 per cent tariffs on certain goods from Canada. Here's a look at some of the claims made in the White House announcement, as well as the facts behind them: CANADA'S DRUG ENFORCEMENT 'FAILURE' "Given Canada's continued failure to arrest traffickers, seize illicit drugs, or co-ordinate with U.S. law enforcement … further presidential action is necessary and appropriate to protect American lives and the national security and foreign policy of the United States," the White House fact sheet states. THE FACTS In December, after the newly elected Trump began to press Canada about the flow of fentanyl into the United States, Canada pledged to invest $1.3 billion to bolster security at the border and strengthen the immigration system. A fentanyl czar, Kevin Brosseau, was appointed in February to co-ordinate the response. Since then, the federal government says it has invested heavily in fighting illicit drug production and trafficking, including another $200 million to target organized crime, enhanced border surveillance and staffing, 15 surveillance towers and other detection tools added to ports of entry. Canada has also deployed at the border new drones, four Black Hawk helicopters and a specialized plane for aerial surveillance, which collectively utilize infrared, heat-seeking and other advanced detection capabilities. The Canadian government says it's teaming up with the United States through a variety of joint efforts. "Canada and the U.S. count on each other to share information, identify and protect against threats," the Canada Border Services Agency told The Canadian Press in a statement. "The CBSA and (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) each have officers embedded in our respective targeting centres and regularly share intelligence as well as several dedicated liaison officers working out of Canada's embassy in Washington, D.C." The agency also pointed to its investigation in February and March, Operation Blizzard, which led to more than 2,600 seizures of suspected narcotics and precursors across the country transported through postal shipments, air cargo and shipping containers. The seizures included 1.73 kilograms of fentanyl, of which 1.44 kilograms were headed to the United States. Of the total drug seizures, the agency said, just 17.5 per cent was destined for the United States while 67.5 per cent had entered from south of the border. From Jan. 1 to April 30 this year, the agency said it seized 2.14 kilograms of fentanyl headed for the United States and 28 grams headed from the United States into Canada. Canadian law enforcement has shut down 47 fentanyl labs since 2018, data from Brosseau's office shows. SEIZURES AT NORTHERN BORDER The fact sheet says fentanyl seizures at the northern border this fiscal year "have surpassed total seizures of the past three years combined." THE FACTS U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows 33.6 kilograms, of fentanyl has been seized at the northern border so far in fiscal year 2025, which ends Sept. 30. That is indeed more than the combined 26.8 kilograms seized in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 fiscal years, but it pales in comparison with the amount of fentanyl seized at the border with Mexico. The same data shows around 3,992 kilograms of fentanyl has been seized at the southwestern border of the United States so far this fiscal year. The amount of fentanyl seized coming into the United States through the northern border is 0.8 per cent of the total amount of fentanyl seized by border enforcement this fiscal year. DRUG POTENCY The White House claimed the amount of fentanyl seized at the Canadian border in the 2025 fiscal year "could have killed more than 16 million Americans due to the drug's potency." THE FACTS The United States Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that around two milligrams of fentanyl could be lethal. By that measure, the 33 kilograms seized at the Canadian border potentially could kill 16 million people. However, the actual number of opioid overdose deaths in the United States is measured in the thousands, not millions. Provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows synthetic opioid deaths in the United States are trending downward, with 46,651 deaths recorded over the 12 months ending January 2025, compared with 72,718 in the previous 12-month period. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2025. Colleen Hale-Hodgson and Marissa Birnie, The Canadian Press
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘I know where a lot of the bodies are buried': Acting U.S. attorney for Nevada responds to critics
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Sigal Chattah, newly appointed acting U.S. attorney for the District of Nevada, responded to her critics in an exclusive interview with the 8 News Now Investigators. Nevada's two United States senators, Catherine Cortez-Masto and Jacky Rosen, both democrats, have been vocal against Chattah's appointment. 'You know, a lot of these people, I know that they're scared because I know where a lot of the bodies are buried because I come from the defense world,' Chattah said. 'Without saying too much about my previous experience as a defense attorney, but when you played that side, you know where all the bodies are buried. Sometimes we even choose the location to bury them.' President Donald Trump appointed Chattah as the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Nevada through an unprecedented legal maneuver last week. She resigned from her position as interim U.S. Attorney before the 120-day deadline expired. This triggered the federal vacancy act, which allowed the president to appoint Chattah to the new position and remain in the office, according to Chattah. Chattah is a former Republican National Committee woman, made an unsuccessful run for Nevada Attorney General, and has made headlines for controversial statements she has made. Rosen issued a statement against Chattah's appointment.'This is an outrageous attempt by the Trump Administration to try to install extremist Sigal Chattah as Acting U.S. Attorney for Nevada and keep her in that role indefinitely. Trump knows Chattah would be soundly rejected by both sides of the aisle if she had to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, which is why he's relying on an unconstitutional maneuver to illegally extend her temporary appointment that was set to expire today,' Rosen said. 'I will continue doing everything I can to block any permanent appointment of extremist Sigal Chattah as Nevada's U.S. Attorney. She is deeply unfit for this role, and I call on the legal system to immediately remove her.' Cortez-Masto also released a statement. 'By bypassing the Senate and naming Sigal Chattah as an 'acting' U.S. attorney, it's clear the Trump administration knows Ms. Chattah is unconfirmable,' Cortez-Mastro said. 'This unprecedented maneuver sets a dangerous standard and risks holding up critical criminal cases just so that President Trump can play political games. At the end of the day, my position remains the same: Sigal Chattah is unfit for this role.' Chattah said the law allowed the opportunity for her appointment. 'I took that opportunity. It's not unconstitutional,' Chattah told the 8 News Now Investigators. 'It was not done in a nefarious manner, and there's nothing that politicians can do about it.'Chattah said she was also appointed as a special prosecutor for the United States attorney general, resulting in a dual role. She discussed priorities for her new position, including targeting drug trafficking, violent crimes, public corruption, and election cases. The Trump administration budgeted money to allow Chattah to hire additional federal prosecutors, she said. To reach investigative reporter Vanessa Murphy, email vmurphy@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
