Latest news with #extradición
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Notorious Ecuadorian gang leader extradited to U.S.
July 21 (UPI) -- Notorious Ecuadorian gang leader Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar has been extradited to the United States, where he is expected to make his first court appearance on Monday. President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador confirmed late Sunday that Macias, leader of the Los Choneros gang and who is also known as Fito, has arrived in the United States. "Goodbye forever, Fito," Noboa said in a statement to social media. "Fito is now in the USA." The U.S. government has yet to confirm Macias' extradition. Hasta nunca, Fito. Fito ya está en EEUU. Esto es gracias a ustedes, ecuatorianos, que dijeron sí a la consulta popular. Espero con gusto las teorías creativas que dirán que no. Interceptamos también 14 toneladas de droga, eso es 560 millones de dólares menos para el... Daniel Noboa Azin (@DanielNoboaOk) July 21, 2025 Macias was recaptured in late June amid a controversial crackdown on gang violence in the country, conducted by Noboa using recently acquired powers granted to him by the National Assembly to combat internal armed conflict. Macias was serving a 34-year sentence for a slew of crimes, including murder, when he escaped from Guayaquil's regional prison in January, as gang violence was erupting in prisons across the nation. In response to the violence, Noboa declared the country was in the midst of an "internal armed conflict" and launched a nationwide law enforcement effort targeting drug cartels and gangs after declaring them terrorists. Macias was then sanctioned by the U.S. State Department in February and charged in a seven-count indictment with drug trafficking-related offenses in Brooklyn, N.Y., in April. If convicted in the United States, he faces up to life in prison. Noboa described Macias' extradition as validation of his crackdown that has received international criticism from human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, over concerns that the new powers pose to the rights of Ecuadorians. "This is thanks to you, Ecuadorians, who said yes to the referendum. I eagerly await the creative theories that will claim otherwise," he said.
Al Bawaba
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
"Fito" faces US justice after violent crime spree and Jailbreak
ALBAWABA - Adolfo 'Fito' Macias, the leader of Ecuador's notorious Los Choneros drug cartel, has formally agreed to be extradited to the United States to face multiple charges, including cocaine trafficking, weapons smuggling, and conspiracy. Fito, who had been Ecuador's most wanted fugitive since his dramatic prison escape in 2024, appeared via video call before a Guayaquil court on Friday wearing an orange prison uniform. When asked by the judge if he consented to extradition, Macias replied, 'Yes, I accept the extradition.' The court confirmed the decision and will now await President Daniel Noboa's signature to finalize the process. His extradition marks a significant moment, as it will be the first time Ecuador extradites a citizen under a new law passed after a 2023 referendum intended to strengthen the government's ability to combat organized crime. Macias was recaptured in June 2025 in a joint military-police operation without gunfire. He had been hiding in a concealed bunker beneath a luxury residence in the fishing port city of Manta. His 2024 escape from a high-security prison in Guayaquil triggered a wave of violence across Ecuador, including car bombings, hostage situations involving prison guards, and the takeover of a live television broadcast by gang members. Q #Fito acepté ser extraditado a los EEUU es parte de una NEGOCIACIÓN por su vida y la de su familia 📌 Solo así se entiende q acepte ser extraditado sabe q las Cárceles del País están en manos de sus "enemigos" y su vida y la de sus familias están en 🔽 — Christian D. Troya Guevara (@Pipo1178) July 11, 2025 The U.S. has long sought Macias, accusing him of operating a vast cocaine distribution network and arming his criminal enterprise. He rose from a taxi driver to one of the most powerful figures in Ecuador's criminal underworld. Following his escape, the Ecuadorian government offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest, branding him as a top national security threat. Now, with Macias preparing to stand trial in the U.S., Ecuadorian officials hope his extradition sends a clear message in their ongoing war against violent gangs and drug trafficking.
Washington Post
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Colombia suspends extradition of rebel leader wanted in the US for drug trafficking
BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombian President Gustavo Petro has suspended a rebel leader's extradition to the United States, arguing that his presence in Colombia is needed to advance peace talks that seek to disarm hundreds of fighters in a region bordering Venezuela. Willington Henao Gutiérrez, known as 'Mocho Olmedo' is one of the leaders of the 33rd front of FARC EMC , a rebel group with around 400 fighters that operates in the northeastern Catatumbo region. He is wanted in the U.S. for drug trafficking and money laundering and his extradition was approved by Colombia's Supreme Court in May.
Associated Press
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Colombia suspends extradition of rebel leader wanted in the US for drug trafficking
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro has suspended a rebel leader's extradition to the United States, arguing that his presence in Colombia is needed to advance peace talks that seek to disarm hundreds of fighters in a region bordering Venezuela. Willington Henao Gutiérrez, known as 'Mocho Olmedo' is one of the leaders of the 33rd front of FARC EMC, a rebel group with around 400 fighters that operates in the northeastern Catatumbo region. He is wanted in the U.S. for drug trafficking and money laundering and his extradition was approved by Colombia's Supreme Court in May. But in a resolution published on June 26, and revealed by Colombian media on Tuesday, Petro ordered the suspension of Henao's extradition, mandating him to provide 'verifiable contributions and concrete results' to peace talks between the 33rd front and the Colombian government. The resolution says that if Henao fails to contribute to talks, he will be handed over to U.S. authorities. Henao, in Colombian government custody since February, is the second rebel leader to have his extradition suspended by Petro this year. In May, the government delayed the extradition of Gabriel Yepes Mejía, a commander of the Comuneros del Sur rebel group also facing drug trafficking charges. In June, Colombia's newly appointed justice minister, Eduardo Montealegre, told Colombian newspaper El Tiempo that the Petro administration would suspend the extradition of rebel leaders who agree to participate in peace talks — even if that strains relations with the United States. Henao was indicted by a Florida court in 2023 on drug trafficking and money laundering charges, with prosecutors alleging he conspired to ship 115 kilos (253 pounds) of cocaine to the U.S. The Petro administration and the U.S. government have often clashed over drug policy, with U.S. officials urging Colombia to do more to reduce coca crops and warning that future cooperation on security depends on concrete results in the fight against drug trafficking. Colombia's first leftist government has staged peace talks with numerous rebel groups and drug gangs in an effort to improve security in rural areas, where groups like the FARC-EMC have filled the void left by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the guerrilla group that made peace with the government in 2016. But the talks have yielded few results so far, with human rights groups saying that extortion, forced displacement and the recruitment of children are on the rise. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
