Ecuador's biggest drug lord 'Fito' pleads not guilty in US
The leader of the Los Choneros gang delivered his "not guilty" plea in a Brooklyn federal court through his lawyer and with the help of an interpreter, an AFP correspondent saw.
He denied seven charges, including drug trafficking and arms trafficking, punishable by 20 years to life imprisonment.
"As alleged, the defendant served for years as the principal leader of Los Choneros, a notoriously violent transnational criminal organization, and was a ruthless and infamous drug and firearms trafficker," US attorney Joseph Nocella said in a statement ahead of Monday's hearing.
"The defendant and his co-conspirators flooded the United States and other countries with drugs and used extreme measures of violence in their quest for power and control."
The US Attorney's Office filed charges in April against Macias on suspicion of cocaine distribution, conspiracy and firearms violations, including weapons smuggling.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the defendant "will soon face justice in the US for leading a vicious transnational criminal organization."
The flight transporting Macias from Ecuador landed in New York state late Sunday.
The former taxi driver turned crime boss agreed in a Quito court last week to be extradited to the United States to face the charges.
GANG WARFARE
Macias 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 approval to intensify his war on criminal gangs.
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 was criticized by human rights organizations.
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.
Macias's 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 25 June, 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
MMA star Conor McGregor loses appeal in rape civil case
Irish professional mixed martial artist and businessman Conor McGregor (L) speaks from the White House briefing room podium with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP Image: Jim Watson/AFP Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor lost an appeal in Ireland on Thursday over a civil court ruling last year awarding damages to a woman who accused him of rape. Three judges at the Court of Appeal in Dublin dismissed all the grounds for appeal raised by McGregor, 36. Jurors at Dublin's High Court in November awarded damages of almost 250,000 euros ($258,000) to Nikita Hand, 35, who alleged that McGregor raped her in a hotel in the Irish capital in 2018. The court heard allegations that McGregor "brutally raped and battered" Hand. The Irish sports star has insisted they had consensual sex. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ However Hand lost an assault lawsuit against a second man. Following the November ruling, McGregor was ordered to pay the entire costs of the case, estimated at around 1.5 million euros ($1.58 million). He appealed the jury's decision, seeking a re-trial of the civil case against him. McGregor, a vocal figure in the Irish anti-immigration movement who in March met US President Donald Trump in the White House during a Saint Patrick's Day visit, was not in court during a month of appeal hearings. His legal team argued that judicial errors occurred in the original trial, including in how he was cross-examined. After the ruling, Hand told reporters that the appeal had "retraumatised" her but that she can now "finally move on and try to heal". "To every survivor out there, I know how hard it is, but please don't be silenced, you deserve to be heard, you also deserve justice," she said. Nicknamed "The Notorious," McGregor is one of the biggest stars in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts circuit, formerly holding the featherweight and lightweight titles. The Irishman was sued in a US court in January, accused of sexual assault at an NBA game in Miami in 2023. He has announced plans to run in Ireland's presidential election this year. The vote to elect the country's next president – a largely ceremonial role without executive power – must be held by mid-November but he faces a number of steep hurdles to get on the ballot. AFP Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
The Citizen
an hour ago
- The Citizen
24 hours in pictures, 31 July 2025
24 hours in pictures, 31 July 2025 Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world. This handout photo released by the Military Emergency Unit (UME) on July 31, 2025, shows firefighters battling a wildfire near Caminomorisco, Extremadura region, western Spain. Firefighters battle a wildfire on the ground and in the air in the Spanish province of Avila and in the region of Extremadura. (Photo by Handout / UME / AFP) An underwater view shows South Africa's swimmer Erin Gallagher as she competes in a heat of the women's 100m freestyle swimming event during the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on July 31, 2025. (Photo by Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP) An airplane drops water during a forest fire in Lugar de Real, Castelo de Paiva, Aveiro, Portugal, 30 July fire that has been raging in Arouca, in the district of Aveiro, has three active fronts and has already reached the parish of Santa Eulalia, the local authority said. Picture: EPA/ESTELA SILVA A security guard gestures to members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) wearing alien outfits during a protest in the financial district of Manila on July 31, 2025, as part of their campaign for people to eat vegan, and highlighting greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. (Photo by TED ALJIBE / AFP) Protesters hold a Palestinian flag during a rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people, at Sana'a University in Sana'a, Yemen, 30 July 2025. Protesters rallied at Sana'a University in solidarity with the Palestinian people, calling for humanitarian food aid to be let into Gaza since Palestinians are experiencing widespread starvation and severe malnutrition. Picture: EPA/YAHYA ARHAB Israeli right-wing settlers waving a national flag march during a rally calling for the return of Jewish settlements in Gaza, at an area near the border overlooking the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, 30 July 2025. Picture: EPA/ABIR SULTAN This handout picture provided by the Morocco's Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP) news agency shows Mudry CAP 230 aircraft of the the aerobatic demonstration team of the Royal Moroccan Air Force, Marche Verte (Green March), performing in Tetouan on occasion of the North African kingdom's Throne Day, marking the enthronement of King Mohammed VI, on July 30, 2025. (Photo by Maghreb Arabe Press (MAP) / AFP) A boy rides his bicycle as a flock of pigeons flies amid cloudy skies after a spell of rain in Jalandhar on July 31, 2025. (Photo by Shammi MEHRA / AFP) This handout photograph taken and released on July 30, 2025 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shows ISRO's launch vehicle GSLV-F16 carrying the NISAR earth observation satellite lifting off from the launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in India's Andhra Pradesh state. A formidable new radar satellite jointly developed by the United States and India launched on July 30, designed to track subtle changes in Earth's land and ice surfaces and help predict both natural and human-caused hazards. (Photo by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) / AFP) Religious images are seen on the wall inside a house damaged by an earthquake in the village of San Miguel Comapa, Jutiapa, Guatemala, 30 July 2025. Guatemalan emergency services reported two deaths, 25 hospitalizations, and 288 people affected by a series of earthquakes in the southeast of the country with a 5.8 magnitude tremor, which was also felt on the borders of El Salvador and Honduras. Picture: EPA/Alex Cruz Aerial view of the Puente Nayero neighborhood during a tsunami warning in Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca Department, Colombia, on July 30, 2025. Colombia ordered residents to evacuate beaches and coastal areas along the Pacific on Wednesday following a tsunami alert triggered by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia's eastern coast, authorities said. (Photo by JOAQUIN SARMIENTO / AFP) A person watches waves during a storm surge off the coast of Leblon Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 30 July 2025. Picture: EPA/Andre Coelho MORE: 24 hours in pictures, 30 July 2025
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
Trump says tariffs are making US 'great and rich' again
US President Donald Trump Image: Peter Zay / AFP US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the sweeping tariffs he has imposed on nations around the world were making the country "great & rich again" as governments raced to strike deals with Washington less than 24 hours before an August 1 deadline. "Tariffs are making America GREAT & RICH Again," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. "ONE YEAR AGO, AMERICA WAS A DEAD COUNTRY, NOW IT IS THE "HOTTEST" COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD," he added. A day earlier, the US President imposed new tariffs to punish or favor several major trading partners -- the latest round of sweeping measures that have roiled markets around the world. South Korea squeezed in at the last moment, securing agreement on a 15 percent tariff for exports to the United States -- significantly below the 25 percent that Trump had earlier threatened to introduce. But Trump also announced crippling 50 percent tariffs on Brazil and a 25 percent levy on Indian exports, while warning Canada it would face trade repercussions for planning to recognize a Palestinian state. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The 15 percent rate on Seoul -- Washington's key security ally -- was equivalent to levies determined from US trade deals with Japan and the European Union. He added that South Korea had committed to investing $350 billion in the United States, as well as the purchase of "$100 billion worth" of liquefied natural gas (LNG) or other energy sources. Seoul's presidential office said tariffs on automobiles -- one of Seoul's key exports -- would also stay at 15 percent. Trump hit Brazil with high tariffs as well as sanctions against the judge overseeing a trial of his far-right ally Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of attempting a coup in Latin America's biggest economy. But he delayed its implementation from Friday to August 6, and crucially exempted many products from the prohibitive levy, including orange juice, civil aircraft, iron ore and some energy products. Canada trade threat He had threatened to wield US economic might to punish Brazil -- and its Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, in particular -- for what he has termed a "witch hunt" against former president Bolsonaro. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he would defend "the sovereignty of the Brazilian people in the face of measures announced by the president of the United States." Among Trump's latest announcements were a 25 percent duty on Indian goods to begin Friday -- slightly lower than previously threatened -- after talks between Washington and New Delhi failed to bring about a trade pact. India would face an unspecified "penalty" over purchases of Russian weapons and energy as well, Trump said. "I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World," he added. Canada's trade relations with the United States also came under threat after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. "Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine," the US president wrote on his Truth Social platform. "That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them." 'Big day for America' He also signed an order Wednesday to impose previously threatened 50 percent tariffs on certain copper products and end a tariff exemption for low-value shipments from abroad. It left out products like copper ores, concentrates and cathodes, bringing some relief to industry. As Trump's deal deadline neared, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News that Washington had struck trade deals with Cambodia and Thailand, but provided no details of the accords. The US tariff hikes due Friday were initially announced in April as part of a package in which Trump slapped a minimum 10 percent levy on goods from almost all trading partners -- citing unfair trade practices. This rate was set to rise to varying levels for dozens of economies such as the European Union, Japan and others, but Washington twice postponed their implementation as financial markets gyrated. The US leader insisted Wednesday that the August 1 deadline "will not be extended" any further. So far, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, the EU and South Korea have reached initial deals with Washington to secure less punishing conditions. While the United States and China earlier slapped escalating tariffs on each other's products, both sides are working to further a truce maintaining duties at lower levels. Although Trump has promised a surge in government revenues from his duties, economists warn that higher tariffs can fuel an uptick in inflation and weigh on economic growth. AFP
