Notorious Ecuadorian gang leader extradited to U.S.
President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador confirmed late Sunday that Macias, leader of the Los Choneros gang and who is also known as Fito, has arrived in the United States.
"Goodbye forever, Fito," Noboa said in a statement to social media. "Fito is now in the USA."
The U.S. government has yet to confirm Macias' extradition.
Hasta nunca, Fito.
Fito ya está en EEUU. Esto es gracias a ustedes, ecuatorianos, que dijeron sí a la consulta popular. Espero con gusto las teorías creativas que dirán que no.
Interceptamos también 14 toneladas de droga, eso es 560 millones de dólares menos para el... pic.twitter.com/BQ4hYs75nT— Daniel Noboa Azin (@DanielNoboaOk) July 21, 2025
Macias was recaptured in late June amid a controversial crackdown on gang violence in the country, conducted by Noboa using recently acquired powers granted to him by the National Assembly to combat internal armed conflict.
Macias was serving a 34-year sentence for a slew of crimes, including murder, when he escaped from Guayaquil's regional prison in January, as gang violence was erupting in prisons across the nation.
In response to the violence, Noboa declared the country was in the midst of an "internal armed conflict" and launched a nationwide law enforcement effort targeting drug cartels and gangs after declaring them terrorists.
Macias was then sanctioned by the U.S. State Department in February and charged in a seven-count indictment with drug trafficking-related offenses in Brooklyn, N.Y., in April.
If convicted in the United States, he faces up to life in prison.
Noboa described Macias' extradition as validation of his crackdown that has received international criticism from human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, over concerns that the new powers pose to the rights of Ecuadorians.
"This is thanks to you, Ecuadorians, who said yes to the referendum. I eagerly await the creative theories that will claim otherwise," he said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Bloomberg
a day ago
- Bloomberg
Ecuador in Spat With Colombia Over Deportation of Prisoners
Ecuador's decision to deport hundreds of Colombian prisoners has stoked the ire of its neighbor, prompting the countries to trade accusations over the weekend. Colombia's foreign ministry on Friday called Ecuador's decision to deport the inmates without prior agreement a violation of international law and an 'unfriendly gesture.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Ecuador deports more than 800 Colombian inmates as Bogota cries foul
Ecuadoran authorities said Saturday they had deported more than 800 Colombian prisoners via a land border crossing, after Bogota protested that the move came without prior agreement. In 2024, Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa announced his intention to deport Colombian inmates to ease overcrowding in the country's prisons. Small groups were transferred starting in April. But Colombian President Gustavo Petro opposed the move, saying that a joint plan was needed to safeguard the prisoners' rights. More than 800 prisoners were deported through the Rumichaca border crossing in Carchi province, Governor Diana Pozo told reporters at the site. The inmates, wearing orange uniforms, waited in line to reenter their home country under the watchful eye of Ecuadoran police and military personnel. Early in the day, some in shorts and t-shirts did exercises while waiting for their turn to cross the border in the chilly Andean air, saying "We want to cross, we want to cross." On Friday, the government in Bogota lodged a formal complaint with Quito, saying such a move without prior agreement was a violation of international law and an "unfriendly gesture." A source in the Carchi governor's office who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity said the mass deportation began on Friday, and the 870 inmates slated for expulsion represented about 60 percent of all Colombians in Ecuador's prisons. Juan Morales, an official in the Colombian town of Ipiales, said that authorities had to scramble to handle the influx of people, because Ecuador had not informed them of the deportations. Ecuador's foreign ministry said Saturday that Bogota was told about the plan on July 8. The mayor of the border town of Ipiales, Amilcar Pantoja, told the media on Friday that prisoners without pending legal cases in Colombia would be released. Drug trafficking gangs operating in Ecuador -- some involving Colombian criminals -- have turned the country into one of the most violent in Latin America. The homicide rate has jumped from six per 100,000 people in 2018 to 38 in 2024, among the highest in the region. sp/sst/ksb


Washington Post
2 days ago
- Washington Post
Pakistan urges global social media platforms to block accounts run by banned militant groups
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan on Friday urged global social media companies to take action to block hundreds of accounts allegedly run by outlawed militant groups that Islamabad claims spread propaganda and glorify insurgents in the South Asian country. According to Pakistan's Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry, groups such as the Pakistani Taliban and the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army — banned by the Pakistani authorities and also designated as terrorist groups by the United States — have been using X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram to promote violence in Pakistan.