Latest news with #JoseAdolfoMaciasVillamar
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Ecuadorian drug lord 'Fito' pleads not guilty after being extradited to New York
The head of a violent Ecuadorian gang accused of smuggling cocaine and firearms between South America and the U.S. pleaded not guilty to drug and gun charges Monday in New York. José Adolfo Macías Villamar, whose nickname is 'Fito,' appeared in federal court in Brooklyn a day after Ecuador extradited him to the U.S. A judge ordered him detained until trial and set his next court date for Sept. 19. U.S. prosecutors accuse Macías of leading the vicious Los Choneros gang that used hitmen, bribes and military weapons, including machine guns and grenades. The hitmen, or sicarios, murdered, tortured and kidnapped people in Ecuador as the gang committed violence against law enforcement, politicians, attorneys, prosecutors and civilians, authorities said. Los Choneros also worked with Mexican drug cartels to ship cocaine from Colombian suppliers through Ecuador and Central America to the U.S., and shipped firearms from the U.S. to South America, prosecutors said. 'Macías Villamar poses an extraordinary danger to the community,' U.S. prosecutors wrote in a request that Macías be detained without bail until trial. 'The Court should enter a permanent order of detention, as no condition or combination of conditions can assure the safety of the community or assure Macías Villamar's appearance at trial.' Macías' lawyer, Alexei Schacht, who entered the not guilty pleas on Macías' behalf, did not immediately return phone and email messages Monday. Macías escaped from a prison in Ecuador in January 2024 and wasn't caught until last month, when he was found in an underground bunker at a relative's mansion in the port city of Manta. He was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking, organized crime and murder when he escaped. He also fled from a maximum-security prison in February 2013 but was recaptured a few weeks later. Los Choneros emerged in the 1990s and Macías has been its leader since 2020, authorities said. Macías cultivated a cult status among fellow gang members and the public in his home country. While behind bars in 2023, he released a video addressed to 'the Ecuadorian people' while flanked by armed men. He also threw parties in prison, where he had access to everything from liquor to roosters for cockfighting matches. A federal grand jury in New York City indicted him on seven charges in April and returned an updated indictment in late June. The charges include international cocaine distribution conspiracy, use of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking and straw purchasing of firearms conspiracy. If convicted, he could face 20 years to life in prison. "The defendant and his co-conspirators flooded the United States and other countries with drugs and used extreme measures of violence in their quest for power and control,' Joseph Nocella Jr., U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Associated Press
Ecuadorian drug lord 'Fito' pleads not guilty after being extradited to New York
The head of a violent Ecuadorian gang accused of smuggling cocaine and firearms between South America and the U.S. pleaded not guilty to drug and gun charges Monday in New York. José Adolfo Macías Villamar, whose nickname is 'Fito,' appeared in federal court in Brooklyn a day after Ecuador extradited him to the U.S. A judge ordered him detained until trial and set his next court date for Sept. 19. U.S. prosecutors accuse Macías of leading the vicious Los Choneros gang that used hitmen, bribes and military weapons, including machine guns and grenades. The hitmen, or sicarios, murdered, tortured and kidnapped people in Ecuador as the gang committed violence against law enforcement, politicians, attorneys, prosecutors and civilians, authorities said. Los Choneros also worked with Mexican drug cartels to ship cocaine from Colombian suppliers through Ecuador and Central America to the U.S., and shipped firearms from the U.S. to South America, prosecutors said. 'Macías Villamar poses an extraordinary danger to the community,' U.S. prosecutors wrote in a request that Macías be detained without bail until trial. 'The Court should enter a permanent order of detention, as no condition or combination of conditions can assure the safety of the community or assure Macías Villamar's appearance at trial.' Macías' lawyer, Alexei Schacht, who entered the not guilty pleas on Macías' behalf, did not immediately return phone and email messages Monday. Macías escaped from a prison in Ecuador in January 2024 and wasn't caught until last month, when he was found in an underground bunker at a relative's mansion in the port city of Manta. He was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking, organized crime and murder when he escaped. He also fled from a maximum-security prison in February 2013 but was recaptured a few weeks later. Los Choneros emerged in the 1990s and Macías has been its leader since 2020, authorities said. Macías cultivated a cult status among fellow gang members and the public in his home country. While behind bars in 2023, he released a video addressed to 'the Ecuadorian people' while flanked by armed men. He also threw parties in prison, where he had access to everything from liquor to roosters for cockfighting matches. A federal grand jury in New York City indicted him on seven charges in April and returned an updated indictment in late June. The charges include international cocaine distribution conspiracy, use of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking and straw purchasing of firearms conspiracy. If convicted, he could face 20 years to life in prison. 'The defendant and his co-conspirators flooded the United States and other countries with drugs and used extreme measures of violence in their quest for power and control,' Joseph Nocella Jr., U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Notorious Ecuadorian gang leader extradited to U.S.
July 21 (UPI) -- Notorious Ecuadorian gang leader Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar has been extradited to the United States, where he is expected to make his first court appearance on Monday. 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... 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.
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Ecuador gang leader Fito removed from prison for US extradition
QUITO: Notorious Ecuadorian gang leader Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, widely known as 'Fito,' has been removed from prison in preparation for his extradition to the United States, according to a statement from the country's penitentiary system. Fito, the head of the Los Choneros criminal organization, was photographed in handcuffs, wearing a helmet and a vest, as authorities escorted him out of detention. His removal follows his dramatic escape last year from an Ecuadorian prison, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for multiple serious crimes. He was recaptured last month after an extensive manhunt. The extradition process marks a significant step in international efforts to combat organized crime. Fito's Los Choneros gang has been linked to drug trafficking, violent crimes, and prison riots in Ecuador. His transfer underscores the growing cooperation between Ecuador and the US in tackling transnational criminal networks. - Reuters
Reuters
4 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Ecuador gang leader 'Fito' to plead not guilty in US after extradition
QUITO, July 20 (Reuters) - Ecuadorean gang leader Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as "Fito," is set to appear in U.S. federal court on Monday, where he will plead not guilty to international charges of drug and weapons trafficking, his lawyer said. Macias, the leader of the Los Choneros gang, was taken out of prison in Ecuador earlier on Sunday to be handed over to U.S. authorities. The U.S. and Ecuadorean governments have not confirmed his extradition. Flight data shows that a U.S. government plane departed from Guayaquil after 2 p.m. local time. "Mr. Macias and I will appear tomorrow before the Brooklyn federal court ... where he will plead not guilty," his lawyer, Alexei Schacht, told Reuters. "After, he will be held in a to-be-determined prison." Macias escaped last year from Ecuadorean prison, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for a slew of crimes. He was recaptured last month. The U.S. Department of Justice has stated that under Macias' direction, Los Choneros committed violent acts against law enforcement, politicians, lawyers, prosecutors and civilians. Ecuador's government says the gang exercises vast control over the nation's prisons, which are plagued by corruption and overcrowding. Ecuadoreans voted in favor of allowing the extradition of citizens in a referendum called by President Daniel Noboa, who has vowed to crack down on rising crime.
