Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito,” the infamous leader of the Los Choneros gang, has accepted extradition to the United States to face charges of cocaine and weapons smuggling. This decision comes after a court hearing in Quito, where Macias appeared via videolink from a high-security prison in Guayaquil, dressed in an orange prison uniform, and replied, “Yes, I accept (extradition)” when asked by the judge.
The extradition process will now move forward, pending confirmation from the presidency. According to reports, President Daniel Noboa has publicly supported the extradition, stating, “We will gladly send him and let him answer to the North American law.” Once the president signs the extradition decree, US marshals are expected to fly Macias from a high-security prison in Guayaquil to federal custody in New York.
Macias’s acceptance of extradition is a significant development in the US’s efforts to dismantle transnational drug networks that use Ecuador as a key trafficking hub. The US Department of Justice has stated that under Macias’s direction, Los Choneros committed violent acts against law enforcement, Ecuadorian politicians, lawyers, prosecutors, and civilians.
As the leader of Los Choneros, Macias wielded immense control over Ecuador’s prisons, where he enjoyed luxuries and treated prisoners and guards with brutality. The gang has ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, Colombia’s Gulf Clan, and Balkan mafias, according to the Ecuadorian Organized Crime Observatory.
Macias will face seven charges in a US federal court in Brooklyn, New York, including drug trafficking and arms smuggling. His extradition would mark the first time Ecuador has extradited a citizen to the US since the measure was written into law last year.
The capture of Macias in June ended a 17-month-long search that followed his daring escape from a maximum-security prison in Guayaquil. During his time on the run, Macias was hiding in an underground bunker beneath a marble-walled house in Manta, equipped with a private gym and game room.
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa has declared a state of “internal armed conflict” and ordered the military to neutralize gangs like Los Choneros. The country has seen a surge in violence in recent years, with rival gangs vying for control and over 70% of cocaine produced globally passing through Ecuador’s ports.
In 2024, Ecuador seized a record 294 tonnes of drugs, mainly cocaine. Macias’s removal could trigger power struggles inside Ecuador’s overcrowded prisons, where Los Choneros still holds significant influence.