Latest news with #Adolfo"Fito"Macias
Newsweek
21-07-2025
- Newsweek
Powerful Drug Kingpin 'Fito' Heads to US Court
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ecuadorean gang leader José Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as "Fito," will plead not guilty when he appears in federal court in New York later on Monday following his extradition last night, his attorney has said. Macías, 44, faces a seven-count federal indictment and is accused by U.S. prosecutors of leading a transnational criminal organization involved in large-scale drug trafficking and firearms smuggling operations. The indictment alleges that from at least 2016 through 2025, Macías was the leader of Los Choneros, a group described by authorities as a criminal organization engaged in the distribution of cocaine from Colombia through Ecuador and Mexico, with final destinations in the United States and elsewhere. A Justice Department spokesperson told Newsweek on Monday that Macías "was extradited to New York last night and will be arraigned today in Brooklyn Federal Court before Chief Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon." Escorted by soldiers and police officers, Adolfo "Fito" Macias, the leader of the Choneros gang, arrives in Guayaquil, Ecuador on June 25, 2025, after being detained. Escorted by soldiers and police officers, Adolfo "Fito" Macias, the leader of the Choneros gang, arrives in Guayaquil, Ecuador on June 25, 2025, after being detained. AP Photo "Mr. Macias and I will appear tomorrow before the Brooklyn federal court ... where he will plead not guilty," Macias' attorney, Alexei Schacht, told Reuters. "After, he will be held in a to-be-determined prison." The Context Macías was extradited from Ecuador following his arrest earlier this year. Prior to his extradition, he had escaped from a prison in Ecuador in January 2024 while serving a sentence for organized crime and murder. His escape led to increased security operations within Ecuador's prison system and broader national responses to organized criminal activity. In the wake of his extradition, U.S. law enforcement officials stated that the case reflects ongoing international cooperation between U.S. and Ecuadorian authorities targeting drug trafficking and transnational criminal networks. What To Know According to the indictment, Macías and others conspired to traffic multiple shipments of cocaine across international borders, including three specific instances in late 2024 and early 2025 that involved approximately 1,100 kilograms, 1,800 kilograms, and 800 kilograms of cocaine respectively. Prosecutors claim the organization utilized methods including violence, bribery, and illegal firearms trafficking to support its drug operations. The document outlines accusations that members of Los Choneros, under Macías' direction, used hitmen, known as "sicarios," to protect the group's leadership and operations. Prosecutors allege that these individuals committed acts of violence using weapons including AK-47s, grenades, and machine guns. José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias Fito. José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias Fito. Ministerio del Interior de Ecuador via AP In support of these activities, the indictment alleges that firearms, ammunition, and related components were illegally obtained in the United States and then exported to Ecuador through straw purchases and smuggling operations. One charge relates to an alleged smuggling attempt that occurred in April 2024, involving weapons components sent from U.S. states including New Mexico and Arizona. The charges include conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, use and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, smuggling goods from the United States, and conspiracy to make straw purchases of firearms. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danielle Blustein Hass and Craig E. Weiner are prosecuting the case on behalf of the Eastern District of New York. Prosecutors have also filed notices of criminal forfeiture, seeking the seizure of property and assets allegedly connected to or derived from the criminal offenses. Each count carries significant penalties under U.S. law. For example, drug trafficking charges involving more than five kilograms of cocaine may result in a minimum 10-year sentence upon conviction. Firearms and smuggling charges carry additional penalties. What Are People Saying A Justice Department spokesperson told Newsweek in a statement Monday: José Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as "Fito," the leader of Los Choneros, a transnational criminal organization based in Ecuador, was extradited to New York last night and will be arraigned today in Brooklyn Federal Court before Chief Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon." United States Attorney John J. Durham said in a news release announcing the indictment on April 2: "As alleged, the defendant was a ruthless leader and prolific drug trafficker for a violent transnational criminal organization. By leading the Los Choneros' network of assassins and drug and weapon traffickers and importing potentially lethal quantities of cocaine into the United States, the defendant has caused great harm to his own country and the United States, which was the destination for the vast majority of Los Choneros' cocaine shipments." What Happens Next According to the indictment, if convicted on all counts, Macías could face a life sentence in federal prison. Prosecutors have also indicated that they will pursue forfeiture of assets, including property obtained from drug proceeds or used in furtherance of the alleged offenses. Investigators continue to examine the scope of the alleged criminal network's operations, both in South America and the United States. The case remains active and ongoing.
DW
21-07-2025
- DW
Ecuador drug lord 'Fito' extradited to US – DW – 07/21/2025
Adolfo "Fito" Macias, the notorious Ecuadorian drug baron who escaped from jail in 2024 but was recaptured last month, has been extradited to the United States to face trial. Notorious Ecuadorian drug trafficker Adolfo "Fito" Macias was extradited to the United States on Sunday where he has been indicted on charges of cocaine distribution, conspiracy and firearms violations, including weapons smuggling. A photograph released by Ecuador's government agency responsible for prisons, the SNAI, showed Macias being guarded by several police officers at an undisclosed location, wearing a t-shirt, shorts, bulletproof vest and helmet. In a statement to reporters, the SNAI said the 45-year-old was removed from custody at a maximum security prison in Ecuador's southwest "for the purposes that correspond to the extradition process." He is due to appear before a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on Monday. His lawyer, Alexei Schacht, told the Associated Press (AP) that his client "will plead not guilty." After that, he will be detained in a yet-to-be-determined location, Schacht added. Macias' extradition comes one month after he was recaptured following a January 2024 escape from a maximum security penitentiary in the southwestern port city of Guayaquil, where he had been serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking, organized crime and murder. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Following his escape, President Daniel Noboa declared Ecuador to be in a state of "internal armed conflict" and ordered the military into the streets in a move that was criticized by human rights organizations. As part of a large-scale military and police search operation and amid widespread violence, the government produced "wanted" posters offering up to $1 million for information leading to Macias' arrest. Last month, on June 25, he was found hiding in a bunker concealed under floor tiles in a luxury home in the fishing port of Manta, the home of his notorious "Los Choneros" gang. "We will gladly send him and let him answer to the North American law," President Noboa told CNN at the time. "The sooner the better." His extradition marks the first ever time that the Ecuadorian government has extradited one of its citizens to a foreign country. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A former taxi driver turned crime boss, Macias has been in charge of "Los Choneros" since 2020. According to the US indictment, the gang employs people to buy firearms and ammunition in the United States and smuggles them into Ecuador, while cocaine would flow in the opposite direction with the help of Mexican cartels. Once a peaceful haven between the world's two top cocaine exporters Colombia and Peru, more than 70 percent of all cocaine produced worldwide now passes through Ecuador's ports, according to government data. According to the Ecuadorian Organized Crime Observatory, "Los Choneros" maintains ties to Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, Colombia's Gulf Clan – the world's largest cocaine exporter – and various mafia organizations in the Balkans. In 2024, Ecuadorian authorities seized a record 294 tons of drugs, mainly cocaine. Despite, or perhaps as a result of, his criminal activities, Macias enjoys a cult status among fellow gang members across Ecuador, and even among parts of the public. Before escaping from prison, he would throw lavish jail parties featuring alcohol and cockfighting matches. In 2023, he even released a video addressed to "the Ecuadorian people" while flanked by armed men. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
