Ecuador’s Most Notorious Gang Boss ‘Fito’ Lands in US, Set to Plead Not Guilty in Drug Case

Adolfo Macias Villamar — better known as “Fito” — is now on US soil and heading to federal court in Brooklyn, where he’s expected to plead not guilty to major drug and weapons trafficking charges, according to his lawyer.

The infamous Ecuadorian gang leader, who once ran the feared Los Choneros cartel, was flown into New York on Sunday night after Ecuador’s government approved his extradition — making him the first citizen handed over under a new law passed just last year.

Fito’s arrival in the US marks a dramatic turn in a saga that’s included murder, drug running, and even a Hollywood-style jailbreak from a maximum-security prison earlier this year. After being on the run, he was captured again in 2024 and sent back behind bars — but not for long.

The extradition comes after a Quito court signed off on the move, and Ecuador’s prison agency confirmed on Sunday that he was officially turned over to the US, though details about the handoff remain under wraps. The US government hasn’t yet commented publicly.

Fito, once a taxi driver, built an empire as one of the country’s most powerful and feared gang bosses. He was in the middle of a 34-year prison sentence in Guayaquil for charges ranging from organized crime and drug trafficking to murder.

In April, the US Attorney’s Office filed charges against him that include conspiracy to distribute cocaine, firearms smuggling, and other federal crimes tied to transnational drug networks.

His lawyer told Reuters that Fito plans to plead not guilty at his arraignment on Monday.

This extradition is part of President Daniel Noboa’s broader crackdown on Ecuador’s spiraling gang violence. Noboa pushed for stronger anti-gang powers through a public referendum, and Fito’s case is now a test of how far Ecuador is willing to go to deal with its narco crisis.

Once known as a quiet country tucked between Colombia and Peru — two of the world’s top cocaine producers — Ecuador has lately become a hotspot for cartel-fueled violence, with groups linked to both Mexican and Colombian cartels battling for control.

With input from Al Jazeera