Ecuador’s most feared drug kingpin and leader of the notorious Los Choneros gang, Jose Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito,” has been extradited to the United States weeks after his dramatic recapture, following a prison break that triggered a nationwide security crisis.
On Sunday, Fito was moved under tight security from La Roca, a maximum-security facility in Guayaquil, to the city’s international airport.
He was then handed over to U.S. authorities who had arrived earlier aboard a Department of Justice aircraft to complete the extradition, Ecuador’s prison agency confirmed.
The extradition flight, which landed in Guayaquil shortly after noon, departed just past 2 p.m. local time. Images released by officials show Macias clad in casual clothes, shorts and a t-shirt, while also donning a helmet and bulletproof vest. He was flanked by heavily armed Ecuadorian National Police officers.
The transfer marks a significant moment in Ecuador’s ongoing battle against organized crime. Macias, who has led Los Choneros since 2020, is accused by U.S. prosecutors of coordinating massive cocaine shipments from Ecuador to North America and beyond.
In April, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn indicted him on seven serious counts, including drug trafficking and weapons smuggling.
Macias had been serving a 34-year sentence for homicide and drug offenses when he escaped in January 2024 from the same prison he was transferred from on Sunday.
His escape triggered a brutal wave of violence, including armed attacks, police ambushes, and even a chilling takeover of a national television station by masked gunmen live on air.
In response, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a state of internal armed conflict, labeling Los Choneros and 21 other criminal outfits as terrorist groups.
Authorities launched a nationwide manhunt that ended last month when Macias was found hiding in a lavish villa in the coastal Manabí province.
He was discovered in a concealed underground bunker beneath the property, which also featured luxury fittings such as a gym, game room, and marble finishes.
According to court filings in the Eastern District of New York, U.S. prosecutors have asked that Macias be held without bail, citing both the danger he poses and the high risk of him fleeing again.
His lawyer, Alexei Schacht, confirmed to CNN that Fito is due to appear in Brooklyn federal court on Monday.
If convicted on the charges against him, Macias could face a minimum of 10 years in prison, with the possibility of a life sentence.
His extradition is seen as a major milestone in the U.S.-Ecuador joint fight against transnational narcotics networks and a stern warning to criminal groups operating in the region.
