Ecuador extradites gang leader Fito to the United States
Ecuador extradited José Adolfo Macías Villamar, the leader of the Los Choneros criminal group, to the United States on 2025-07-20, sending one of the country’s most notorious gang figures into the American justice system, according to the Associated Press. The move followed his escape from an Ecuadorian prison last year and his recapture in late June.
Macías is better known by his nickname, Fito. The AP report says he was removed from the La Roca Detention Center under police and military custody as part of the extradition process. A photograph released by Ecuador’s prison authority showed him in a T-shirt, shorts, a bulletproof vest and helmet, a visual reminder that the transfer was treated as a high-security operation rather than a routine handover.
The case matters because the United States has already charged him with importing thousands of pounds of cocaine into the country. The indictment in New York, filed in April, says Los Choneros relied on firearms, ammunition, bribes and hitmen to run its business. The gang also used suppliers in the United States to buy weapons and smuggle them back into Ecuador, showing how the criminal pipeline ran in both directions.
Macías had been serving a 34-year sentence in Ecuador for drug trafficking, organized crime and murder when he escaped from a prison in Guayaquil. He was then recaptured about a year and a half later on the country’s central coast. The AP report says that after his arrest, the U.S. sent a document offering guarantees for the respect of his rights, which helped unlock the extradition decision.
The transfer also has symbolic weight inside Ecuador. Prison authorities said Macías is the first Ecuadorian extradited to the U.S. from Ecuador itself. That is a notable change for a country that has spent years trying to regain control from gangs that use prisons, bribery and armed violence to maintain influence. The report also says Macías had cultivated a cult status among followers, including by appearing in a 2023 video addressed to “the Ecuadorian people” while flanked by armed men.
The gang’s reach was not limited to Ecuador. According to the indictment, cocaine moved into the United States with the help of Mexican cartels, while Los Choneros used gun and ammunition purchases in the U.S. to arm itself at home. That web of trafficking helps explain why the extradition drew such attention from both countries. It was not just about one man, but about a network linking prisons, ports, streets and courtrooms.
Macías is expected to appear in Brooklyn federal court on Monday, where his lawyer says he will plead not guilty. After that, he will be held in a prison yet to be determined. The AP report does not predict the outcome of the case, but it does show that the next stage will unfold in the U.S. legal system rather than in Ecuador’s detention network.
For now, the verified facts are stark: a gang leader escaped, was recaptured, and then became the first Ecuadorian extradited to the United States from Ecuador. The extradition itself is the story, but the wider fight against Los Choneros is still far from over.
