Ecuador Gang Leader Fito Sent to the U.S. for Trial

Ecuador’s most feared gang leader, Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as "Fito," has been sent to the United States to face serious criminal charges. He is accused of smuggling drugs and weapons. He will appear in a U.S. court in Brooklyn, where his lawyer says he will say he is not guilty.

Fito was the head of 'Los Choneros', a deadly gang in Ecuador.This gang is known to work with big drug cartels from Mexico and Europe. The gang is also blamed for making Ecuador one of the most violent countries in Latin America.

Authorities believe Fito may have been behind the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

Fito had been serving a 34-year sentence for crimes like murder and drug trafficking. But in early 2023, he escaped from a high-security prison. After hiding for nearly a year, police caught him in June 2024 in a secret room under a luxury house in Manta city. He was brought to La Roca, the most security prison in the nation.

Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa thanked the police and said Fito would be sent to the U.S. This became possible because Ecuadorians voted in a referendum to allow criminals to be sent to other countries for trial.

Ecuador is struggling with rising crime. It sits between Colombia and Peru, the top cocaine-producing countries in the world. Over 70% of the world’s cocaine passes through Ecuador. Gangs are fighting to control drug routes, leading to more violence.

President Noboa has asked for help from other countries like the U.S., Brazil, and European nations to fight these gangs.

Fito will now stay in a U.S. prison until his trial. The location of the prison is still not decided. His case is seen as an important step in Ecuador’s fight against crime.