Ecuador Extradites Alleged Gang Leader to US to Face Charges

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said that José Adolfo Macías Villamar had arrived in the United States.

Drug trafficker Adolfo Macias, alias Fito, is guarded by Ecuadorian Interior Minister John Reimberg (R) and military personnel upon his arrival at the Guayaquil air base following his recapture in Manta, Manabi province, in Ecuador on June 25, 2025. MARCOS PIN/AFP via Getty Images

Ecuador extradited the alleged leader of Los Choneros, one of the nation’s most violent drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations, to the United States on July 20 to face international drug charges.

José Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as “Fito,” was removed from a detention center in Ecuador on July 20 for his extradition, according to SNAI, the government agency responsible for overseeing prisons in Ecuador.