Leader of Ecuador's Most Powerful Gang to Face Drug Charges in New York

New York Times

5 days ago

Ecuador's most powerful gang leader, whose escape from prison set off a chain of deadly violence across that country last year, was arraigned on drug trafficking and weapons smuggling charges in Brooklyn on Monday.
The leader, José Adolfo Macías, known as Fito, is the head of Los Choneros, a gang that has helped establish a powerful drug-trafficking industry in Ecuador by infiltrating the ranks of government and terrorizing ordinary Ecuadoreans.
Mr. Macías, 45, was captured by Ecuadorean authorities in June and extradited to the United States on Sunday. He had escaped prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, in January 2024, prompting the government to declare a 60-day state of emergency while the authorities searched for him.
Mr. Macías, with a graying beard and wearing a green shirt, listened to the court proceedings on Monday through an interpreter. He pleaded not guilty. He is due back in court on Sept. 19 and faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Ecuador has seen an explosion of violence related to drug trafficking. Since 2020, Los Choneros has played a central role in the unrest, carrying out kidnappings, killing citizens and taking over prisons, aided by public corruption, according to federal prosecutors.
Prosecutors say that Mr. Macías, who became the leader of Los Choneros in 2020, has tapped a sprawling criminal network, including groups like the Sinaloa Cartel, to facilitate the movement of tons of cocaine from South America to Mexico, and eventually to the United States. In April, prosecutors announced Mr. Macías's indictment in Federal District Court in Brooklyn on charges of international drug and weapons smuggling.
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