Ecuador's biggest drug lord 'Fito' extradited to US
The US Attorney's Office filed charges in April against Macias, the head of the "Los Choneros" gang, on suspicion of cocaine distribution, conspiracy and firearms violations, including weapons smuggling.
The drug lord on Sunday was removed from custody at a maximum security prison in Ecuador's southwest "for the purposes that correspond to the extradition process," Ecuador's prison authority SNAI said in a statement to reporters.
Macias, a former taxi driver turned crime boss, agreed in a Quito court last week to be extradited to the United States to face the charges.
He is the first Ecuadoran extradited by his country since a new measure was written into law last year, after a referendum in which President Daniel Noboa sought the approval of moves to boost his war on criminal gangs.
- 'Sooner the better' -
Ecuador, once a peaceful haven between the world's two top cocaine exporters Colombia and Peru, has seen violence erupt in recent years as enemy gangs with ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels vie for control.
Soon after Macias escaped from prison in January 2024, Noboa declared Ecuador to be in a state of "internal armed conflict" and ordered the military and tanks into the streets to "neutralize" the gangs.
The move has been criticized by human rights organizations.
Macias's Los Choneros has ties to Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, Colombia's Gulf Clan -- the world's largest cocaine exporter -- and Balkan mafias, according to the Ecuadorian Organized Crime Observatory.
The crime boss' escape from prison prompted widespread violence and a massive military and police recapture operation, including government "wanted" posters offering $1 million for information leading to his arrest.
On June 25, Macias was found hiding in a bunker concealed under floor tiles in a luxury home in the fishing port of Manta, the center of operations for Los Choneros. Noboa declared he would be extradited, "the sooner the better."
"We will gladly send him and let him answer to the North American law," Noboa told CNN at the time.
More than 70 percent of all cocaine produced in the world now passes through Ecuador's ports, according to government data.
In 2024, the country seized a record 294 tons of drugs, mainly cocaine.
vd/atm/jgc/aha
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
4 minutes ago
- CBS News
Chicago Ridge, Illinois drug bust nets $1 million in cocaine thanks to K-9 officer Storm
A K-9 sniffed out seven figures worth of cocaine in a Chicago Ridge drug bust earlier this week, police said. Chicago Ridge police said they assisted the Drug Enforcement Agency in a narcotics investigation on Wednesday night. As part of the operation, Officer A'Hearn and his K-9 partner Storm went to unincorporated Will County to track down a luxury SUV suspected to be transporting large amounts of illegal drugs. Storm gave a positive indication for narcotics when sniffing the exterior of the vehicle, prompting a search by DEA agents that uncovered approximately 60 kg of suspected cocaine, as well as cash. The cocaine is estimated to be worth $1 million, Chicago Ridge police said. The investigation is ongoing and being led by the DEA. Chicago Ridge police did not release any information about whether charges have been filed.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump tariffs weigh on Brazil chemical exporters, spark order cancellations
By Ana Mano SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Chemical products companies in Brazil, which exported $2.4 billion to the U.S. last year, face a slew of contract cancellations as President Donald Trump has threatened a new 50% tariff on the South American nation's exports from August 1. Since Trump's announcement, export orders have been canceled for certain resins and compounds used to make fertilizers, which Brazil supplies to the U.S. agriculture sector, Andre Cordeiro, head of Brazilian chemical lobby Abiquim, said on Friday. "Fundamentally, these decisions are being made because the bet is that he will actually apply the tariff," Cordeiro said. One company in Brazil had all its contracts for exports to the U.S. canceled, Cordeiro said, adding that other businesses have seen some of their contracts canceled. There are also cases where sellers had secured export financing for the order, which was later revoked. He declined to name the affected exporters. Losses associated with the tariffs go beyond direct exports, as almost every industry uses chemicals in manufacturing processes, from oil to steel, from machinery to production of agricultural commodities, he said. "No one produces coffee, even grains, without some kind of chemical product in the process." Cordeiro added that chemical companies are losing export business and also local sales to clients that export goods into the U.S. market. Brazilian plywood exporters, for example, use chemicals for bonding and themselves have faced U.S. order cancellations, he said. Orange juice makers, which sent 42% of their exports to the U.S. last year, also use chemical preservatives. Brazilian companies like Braskem have operations in the U.S. and could be affected. Dow Chemical, which has 10 plants in Brazil and sizeable exports of silicon metal for processing in the U.S., is also at risk. Braskem and Dow did not immediately comment. Exxon Mobil, which declined to comment, operates in Brazil and serves clients in various industries. Tariffs are unjustified because Brazil's chemical sector runs a $7.9 billion trade deficit with the U.S., Abiquim said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump tariffs weigh on Brazil chemical exporters, spark order cancellations
By Ana Mano SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Chemical products companies in Brazil, which exported $2.4 billion to the U.S. last year, face a slew of contract cancellations as President Donald Trump has threatened a new 50% tariff on the South American nation's exports from August 1. Since Trump's announcement, export orders have been canceled for certain resins and compounds used to make fertilizers, which Brazil supplies to the U.S. agriculture sector, Andre Cordeiro, head of Brazilian chemical lobby Abiquim, said on Friday. "Fundamentally, these decisions are being made because the bet is that he will actually apply the tariff," Cordeiro said. One company in Brazil had all its contracts for exports to the U.S. canceled, Cordeiro said, adding that other businesses have seen some of their contracts canceled. There are also cases where sellers had secured export financing for the order, which was later revoked. He declined to name the affected exporters. Losses associated with the tariffs go beyond direct exports, as almost every industry uses chemicals in manufacturing processes, from oil to steel, from machinery to production of agricultural commodities, he said. "No one produces coffee, even grains, without some kind of chemical product in the process." Cordeiro added that chemical companies are losing export business and also local sales to clients that export goods into the U.S. market. Brazilian plywood exporters, for example, use chemicals for bonding and themselves have faced U.S. order cancellations, he said. Orange juice makers, which sent 42% of their exports to the U.S. last year, also use chemical preservatives. Brazilian companies like Braskem have operations in the U.S. and could be affected. Dow Chemical, which has 10 plants in Brazil and sizeable exports of silicon metal for processing in the U.S., is also at risk. Braskem and Dow did not immediately comment. Exxon Mobil, which declined to comment, operates in Brazil and serves clients in various industries. Tariffs are unjustified because Brazil's chemical sector runs a $7.9 billion trade deficit with the U.S., Abiquim said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
