Latest news with #MaciasVillamar
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Violent drug kingpin extradited to NYC after his prison break sparked riots, chaos in Ecuador
An Ecuadorean gang leader who twice escaped from Central American prisons is now locked up in the US and facing a federal drug and gun trafficking indictment, prosecutors said Monday. Jose Adolfo 'Fito' Macias Villamar, 45, the notorious leader of the violent 'Los Choneros' gang, held so much clout in his native country that the Ecuadorean government had to declare a state of emergency last year after his most recent escape sparked nationwide riots and violence. But Macias Villamar was recaptured and extradited to the US over the weekend and is now awaiting on a seven-count indictment in the Eastern District of New York, prosecutors said. Advertisement 3 Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as 'Frito,' is facing a US indictment for running the 'Los Choneros' gang. via REUTERS 'José 'Fito' Macias thought he could traffic poison into our country, smuggle American weapons back to his killers, and further his criminal enterprise using chaos and bloodshed,' Robert Murphy, acting administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration said in a statement. 'He was wrong. 'Today, the kingpin of Los Choneros faces justice on U.S. soil for his crimes,' Murphy said. Advertisement Los Choneros is 'the most violent and powerful transnational criminal organization in Ecuador,' the US Attorneys Office said in a press release. The gang was behind the assassinations of at lease one prominent political leader in Ecuador in 2023, and was part of a rival gang war behind bars that saw more than 115 people killed in 2021. 3 Federal prosecutors in New York said Jose Adolfo 'Fito' Macias Villamar ran the dangerous 'Los Choneros' gang. REUTERS Macias Villamar oversaw the gang's operations from Central America, including from inside Ecuadorean prison cells, according to the indictment. Advertisement Under his watch, Los Choneros operatives stocked up on weapons in the US — including AK 47s, assault rifles and hand grenades — between 2020 and 2025, sneaking the weapons into Ecuador, where they helped gangbangers control the gun and international drug trade. In 2011, Macias Villamar was jailed in Ecuador, but managed to escape — and did so again in January 2024, when his prison break sparked nationwide unrest and violence. Recaptured by Ecuadorean authorities, he was extradited over the weekend and is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment later on Monday, prosecutors said. 3 'Los Choneros' gang boss Jose Adolfo 'Fito' Macias Villamar twice escaped from prisons in Ecuador. SNAI/AFP via Getty Images Advertisement '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,' Eastern District US Attorney Joseph Nocella said in a statement. 'This case demonstrates our Office's commitment to identifying and targeting the leadership of such organizations, wherever they may be located, and bringing them to face justice here in the United States,' Nocella added.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Washington Post
Ecuador's most notorious drug lord taken to U.S., plans to plead not guilty
Ecuador's most notorious drug trafficker has been extradited to the United States and is expected to face drug and weapons charges in federal court on Monday. José Adolfo 'Fito' Macías Villamar was arrested in Ecuador on June 25 and had been detained there since, following his escape from a prison in Guayaquil in early 2024. He was extradited to the United States on Sunday, according to a memorandum from the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ecuador's most-wanted gang leader 'Fito' captured
Ecuador's president announced Wednesday that the country's most-wanted fugitive, Los Choneros gang leader "Fito," had been recaptured over a year after his escape from prison triggered a wave of violence. "We have done our part to proceed with Fito's extradition to the United States, we are awaiting their response," Daniel Noboa wrote on X. Drug lord Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as Fito, escaped custody in Ecuador in early 2024 and American prosecutors charged him, in absentia, with seven counts of cocaine distribution, conspiracy and firearms-related crimes, including weapons smuggling. Macias Villamar's January 2024 escape resulted in a surge of gang-related violence in Ecuador that lasted days and left about 20 people dead. Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency in nearly a third of its provinces to quell the violence, but the drug lord was at-large until Wednesday's announcement. The months-long manhunt ended with the president stating Fito was in the custody of special military forces fighting narcotics trafficking. The army and police reported that he was captured during a 10-hour operation in Manta, a fishing port in western Ecuador considered a stronghold for his gang. Fito's hideout evoked scenes from a movie thriller -- local media reported that officers lifted a trap door in floor tiles of a luxury home to discover the outlaw hiding in a bunker. The US Embassy congratulated Quito on the arrest, posting in Spanish on its X account that Washington "supports Ecuador in its efforts to combat transnational crime for the security of the region." - Cartel terror campaign - 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 vie for control and establish ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels. Macias Villamar is the leader of Los Choneros, the leading criminal gang in a country plagued by organized crime. Gang wars largely played out inside the country's prisons, where Macias Villamar wielded immense control. He had been held since 2011, serving a 34-year sentence for organized crime, drug trafficking and murder. When he escaped, Macias Villamar was also considered a suspect in ordering the assassination of presidential candidate and anti-corruption crusader Fernando Villavicencio. In the hours after the drug lord's escape, prison riots broke out and four police officers were taken hostage, where one was forced to read a threatening message to Noboa. Armed men wearing balaclavas also took over a television station during a live broadcast, forcing the terrified crew to the ground and firing shots. Soon after, Noboa announced the country was in a state of "internal armed conflict" and ordered the military and tanks into the streets to "neutralize" the gangs. US prosecutors allege his gang worked with Mexico's Sinaloa cartel to control key drug trafficking routes between South America and the United States. Ecuador's government had offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture. If convicted, Fito faces life in prison. pld/das/sla/mlm/jgc
MTV Lebanon
26-06-2025
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
Ecuador's Most-Wanted Gang Leader 'Fito' Captured
Ecuador's most-wanted drug lord 'Fito' was recaptured after a months-long manhunt, President Daniel Noboa announced Wednesday, ending a fugitive run that had plunged the country into deadly gang violence and triggered a national state of emergency. Ecuador's president announced Wednesday that the country's most-wanted fugitive, Los Choneros gang leader "Fito," had been recaptured over a year after his escape from prison triggered a wave of violence. "We have done our part to proceed with Fito's extradition to the United States, we are awaiting their response," Daniel Noboa wrote on X. Drug lord Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as Fito, escaped custody in Ecuador in early 2024 and American prosecutors charged him, in absentia, with seven counts of cocaine distribution, conspiracy and firearms-related crimes, including weapons smuggling. Macias Villamar's January 2024 escape resulted in a surge of gang-related violence in Ecuador that lasted days and left about 20 people dead. Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency in nearly a third of its provinces to quell the violence, but the drug lord was at-large until Wednesday's announcement. The months-long manhunt ended with the president stating Fito was in the custody of special military forces fighting narcotics trafficking. The army and police reported that he was captured during a 10-hour operation in Manta, a fishing port in western Ecuador considered a stronghold for his gang. Fito's hideout evoked scenes from a movie thriller -- local media reported that officers lifted a trap door in floor tiles of a luxury home to discover the outlaw hiding in a bunker. The US Embassy congratulated Quito on the arrest, posting in Spanish on its X account that Washington "supports Ecuador in its efforts to combat transnational crime for the security of the region." Cartel terror campaign 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 vie for control and establish ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels. Macias Villamar is the leader of Los Choneros, the leading criminal gang in a country plagued by organized crime. Gang wars largely played out inside the country's prisons, where Macias Villamar wielded immense control. He had been held since 2011, serving a 34-year sentence for organized crime, drug trafficking and murder. When he escaped, Macias Villamar was also considered a suspect in ordering the assassination of presidential candidate and anti-corruption crusader Fernando Villavicencio. In the hours after the drug lord's escape, prison riots broke out and four police officers were taken hostage, where one was forced to read a threatening message to Noboa. Armed men wearing balaclavas also took over a television station during a live broadcast, forcing the terrified crew to the ground and firing shots. Soon after, Noboa announced the country was in a state of "internal armed conflict" and ordered the military and tanks into the streets to "neutralize" the gangs. US prosecutors allege his gang worked with Mexico's Sinaloa cartel to control key drug trafficking routes between South America and the United States. Ecuador's government had offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture. If convicted, Fito faces life in prison.
Int'l Business Times
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Ecuador's Most-wanted Gang Leader 'Fito' Captured
Ecuador's president announced Wednesday that the country's most-wanted fugitive, Los Choneros gang leader "Fito," had been recaptured over a year after his escape from prison triggered a wave of violence. "We have done our part to proceed with Fito's extradition to the United States, we are awaiting their response," Daniel Noboa wrote on X. Drug lord Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as Fito, escaped custody in Ecuador in early 2024 and American prosecutors charged him, in absentia, with seven counts of cocaine distribution, conspiracy and firearms-related crimes, including weapons smuggling. Macias Villamar's January 2024 escape resulted in a surge of gang-related violence in Ecuador that lasted days and left about 20 people dead. Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency in nearly a third of its provinces to quell the violence, but the drug lord was at-large until Wednesday's announcement. The months-long manhunt ended Wednesday with the president stating that Fito was in the custody of special military forces fighting narcotics trafficking. The army and police reported that he was captured during an operation in the city of Manta, a fishing port in the western part of the country considered a stronghold for his gang. 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 vie for control and establish ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels. Macias Villamar is the leader of Los Choneros, the leading criminal gang in a country plagued by organized crime. Gang wars largely played out inside the country's prisons, where Macias Villamar wielded immense control. He had been held since 2011, serving a 34-year sentence for organized crime, drug trafficking and murder. When he escaped, Macias Villamar was also considered a suspect in ordering the assassination of presidential candidate and anti-corruption crusader Fernando Villavicencio. In the hours after the drug lord's escape, prison riots broke out and four police officers were taken hostage, where one was forced to read a threatening message to Noboa. Armed men wearing balaclavas also took over a television station during a live broadcast, forcing the terrified crew to the ground and firing shots. Soon after, Noboa announced the country was in a state of "internal armed conflict" and ordered the military and tanks into the streets to "neutralize" the gangs. US prosecutors allege his gang worked with Mexico's Sinaloa cartel to control key drug trafficking routes between South America and the United States. Ecuador's government had offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture. If convicted, Fito faces life in prison. Accused drug trafficker Adolfo Macias (C), alias Fito, being guarded by Ecuador's Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo (L) and Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg after his recapture AFP
