Latest news with #gang
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Murder trial begins for accused Jacksonville gang members at the center of deadly drill rap beef
Jury selection begins Monday for the trials of Hakeem Robinson and Leroy Whitaker Jr., two suspected gang members charged with the 2020 murder of Charles McCormick Jr. in Arlington. The trials, which have faced multiple delays, are starting nearly five years after the arrests of the three men involved in the case. Robinson, 26, also known as rapper 'Ksoo', and Whitaker, 24, also know 'ATK Scotty' are accused of shooting McCormick with a rifle at a shopping mall on Merrill Road. The incident was captured on dash cam video, according to police reports. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< McCormick, 23, was an aspiring rapper who performed under the name Lil Buck. Abdul Robinson Sr., Hakeem Robinson's father, is also charged in the murder and is expected to testify against his son. In a video shown to the court, Abdul Robinson Sr. is seen speaking with the state attorney's office, where he identifies Hakeem Robinson as the shooter. Hakeem Robinson is also facing charges in the 2019 murder of 16-year-old Adrian Gainer, aka 'Bibby.' A pretrial hearing for this case is scheduled to occur during the jury selection for McCormick murder trial. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Notorious drug lord dubbed "Fito" extradited to U.S. from Ecuador, arrives in New York
Ecuador on Sunday extradited to the United States the leader of a violent Ecuadorian gang who relied on hitmen, bribes and military weapons to do business. It marks the first time an Ecuadorian has been extradited to the U.S. directly from Ecuador. José Adolfo Macías Villamar, whose nickname is "Fito," escaped from a prison in Ecuador last year and was recaptured late June. In April, a U.S. Attorney indicted him in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States. Macías "was removed from the La Roca Detention Center under the custody of the National Police and Armed Forces for the appropriate proceedings in the context of an extradition process," Ecuador's government agency responsible for overseeing prisons, SNAI, said in a message sent to journalists. Details of the handover were not specified. A photograph released by SNAI showed Macías wearing a T-shirt, shorts, a bulletproof vest and helmet. Several police officers were guarding him at an undisclosed location. The Ecuadorian will appear Monday before Brooklyn's federal court "where he will plead not guilty," Macías' lawyer Alexei Schacht told The Associated Press via email. After that, he will be detained in a prison yet to be determined, Schacht added. The seven-count indictment unsealed in Brooklyn charges Macías and an unidentified co-defendant with international cocaine distribution, conspiracy and weapons counts, including smuggling firearms from the United States. The extradition decision came after the United States sent a document to Ecuador offering guarantees for the respect of the rights of the 45-year-old criminal leader. Since 2020, Macías has led "Los Choneros," a criminal organization that emerged in the 1990s. The gang employed people to buy firearms and ammunition in the United States and smuggle them into Ecuador, according to April's indictment. Cocaine would flow into the United States with the help of Mexican cartels. Together, the groups controlled key cocaine trafficking routes through Ecuador, violently targeting law enforcement, politicians, lawyers and civilians who stood in the way. Last year, the U.S. classified Los Choneros as one of the most violent gangs and affirmed its connection to powerful Mexican drug cartels who threaten Ecuador and the surrounding region. Authorities in Ecuador have classified the gang as a terrorist organization. While Macias was on the run, the Ecuadorian government announced the reward for his capture would be increased to $1 million. Macías escaped from a Guayaquil prison where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking, organized crime, and murder. He was recaptured a year and a half later on the country's central coast. Macías has 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. Macías is the first Ecuadorian to be extradited to the U.S. from Ecuador, prison authorities said. Two other Ecuadorian drug traffickers have previously been handed over to the United States but from Colombia, where they were arrested. Earlier this year, a leader of one of Ecuador's biggest crime syndicates, Los Lobos, was arrested at his home in the coastal city of Portoviejo. Carlos D, widely known by his alias "El Chino," was the second-in-command of Los Lobos and "considered a high-value target," the armed forces said in a statement. The U.S. last year declared Los Lobos to be the largest drug trafficking organization in Ecuador.
Sky News
2 days ago
- Sky News
Notorious Ecuador gang boss Fito extradited to the US
Notorious Ecuadorian gang leader Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar - known as Fito - will face court in the US after being extradited, his lawyer has said. The South American country's most-wanted fugitive vanished from prison in January 2024, with authorities desperately searching for him until he was finally recaptured last month. "Fito" has an extensive criminal record including charges of murder and organised crime, and he was sentenced to 34 years behind bars in 2011. While neither the US nor Ecuador have confirmed his extradition, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa previously said the move had been requested - and vowed that more notorious gang members "will fall". 0:36 The prisoner who lived like a king Even after being thrown behind bars, "Fito" continued to serve as the leader of the Los Choneros gang up until his escape. He also enjoyed access to mobile phones and the internet, watched TV and kept pets. "His prison cell basically resembled a hotel room," Annette Idler, a professor of global security at the University of Oxford, previously told Sky News. "He had access to women who were brought to him," she adds. "It was a luxury room for him." Colourful murals of the gang leader were even daubed across the prison walls, including one of him flanked by two assault rifles. But then in January last year, he mysteriously vanished, leading to a nationwide manhunt. Officials are yet to explain how he escaped. 'Fito' recaptured After more than a year in hiding, "Fito" was found in his hometown of Manta last month. Footage from the Ecuadorian army showed a uniformed officer aiming a gun at the drug trafficker's head after finding him hiding in a small hole beneath a kitchen counter. The announcement of his arrest came in the same week that another gang leader was confirmed to have escaped from an Ecuadorian prison. Extradition to the US "Fito" will now face court in the US following his reported extradition from Ecuador. Flight data shows that a US government plane departed from Guayaquil after 2 pm local time on Sunday. "Mr Macias and I will appear tomorrow before the Brooklyn federal court... where he will plead not guilty," his lawyer, Alexei Schacht, said. "After, he will be held in a to-be-determined prison." The US 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.
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Ecuador Extradites Leader of Violent Ecuadorian Drug Gang to the United States
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) – Ecuador on Sunday extradited to the United States the leader of a violent Ecuadorian gang who relied on hitmen, bribes, and military weapons to do business. José Adolfo Macías Villamar, whose nickname is Fito, escaped from a prison in Ecuador last year and was recaptured late June. In April, a US Attorney indicted him in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States. Macías was removed from the La Roca Detention Center under the custody of the National Police and Armed Forces for the appropriate proceedings in the context of an extradition process, Ecuador's government agency responsible for overseeing prisons, SNAI, said in a message sent to journalists. Details of the handover were not specified. A photograph released by SNAI showed Macías wearing a T-shirt, shorts, a bulletproof vest, and helmet. Several police officers were guarding him at an undisclosed location. The extradition decision came after the United States sent a document to Ecuador offering guarantees for the respect of the rights of the 45-year-old criminal leader. Since 2020, Macías has led Los Choneros, a criminal organization that emerged in the 1990s. The gang employed people to buy firearms and ammunition in the United States and smuggle them into Ecuador, according to April's indictment. Cocaine would flow into the United States with the help of Mexican cartels. Together, the groups controlled key cocaine trafficking routes through Ecuador, violently targeting law enforcement, politicians, lawyers, and civilians who stood in the way. Macías escaped from a Guayaquil prison where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking, organized crime, and murder. He was recaptured a year and a half later on the country's central coast. Macías has 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. Macías is the first Ecuadorian to be extradited to the US from Ecuador, prison authorities said. Two other Ecuadorian drug traffickers have previously been handed over to the United States, but from Colombia where they were arrested.
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Ecuador extradites leader of violent drug gang to the United States
This wanted poster posted on X by Ecuador's Ministry of Interior, Jan. 9, 2024, shows Adolfo Macías, alias Fito, the leader of Los Choneros gang. (Ecuador's Ministry of Interior via AP, File) QUITO, Ecuador — Ecuador on Sunday extradited to the United States the leader of a violent Ecuadorian gang who relied on hitmen, bribes and military weapons to do business. José Adolfo Macías Villamar, whose nickname is 'Fito,' escaped from a prison in Ecuador last year and was recaptured late June. In April, a U.S. Attorney indicted him in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States. Macías 'was removed from the La Roca Detention Center under the custody of the National Police and Armed Forces for the appropriate proceedings in the context of an extradition process,' Ecuador's government agency responsible for overseeing prisons, SNAI, said in a message sent to journalists. Details of the handover were not specified. A photograph released by SNAI showed Macías wearing a T-shirt, shorts, a bulletproof vest and helmet. Several police officers were guarding him at an undisclosed location. The extradition decision came after the United States sent a document to Ecuador offering guarantees for the respect of the rights of the 45-year-old criminal leader. Since 2020, Macías has led 'Los Choneros,' a criminal organization that emerged in the 1990s. The gang employed people to buy firearms and ammunition in the United States and smuggle them into Ecuador, according to April's indictment. Cocaine would flow into the United States with the help of Mexican cartels. Together, the groups controlled key cocaine trafficking routes through Ecuador, violently targeting law enforcement, politicians, lawyers and civilians who stood in the way. Macías escaped from a Guayaquil prison where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking, organized crime, and murder. He was recaptured a year and a half later on the country's central coast. Macías has 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. Macías is the first Ecuadorian to be extradited to the U.S. from Ecuador, prison authorities said. Two other Ecuadorian drug traffickers have previously been handed over to the United States but from Colombia, where they were arrested. The Associated Press
