The United States government presented a formal extradition request against Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, alias “Fito,” considered the top drug trafficker in Ecuador and leader of the criminal group Los Choneros, reported judicial authorities in the South American country.

The request was delivered to the president of the National Court of Justice (CNJ), Jose Suing Nagua, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility. If approved, Fito would become the first Ecuadorian citizen extradited after the April 2024 referendum, in which the population approved allowing the extradition of nationals to foreign justice, a measure promoted by President Daniel Noboa in his crusade against organized crime.

“Organized crime no longer has allies or hiding places. We are going to finish what we started,” declared the Minister of the Interior, John Reimberg, after learning of the request. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce confirmed that Secretary Marco Rubio called Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld to highlight joint efforts on hemispheric security and illegal migration.

U.S. Charges

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York accuses Fito of seven crimes, including: conspiracy and international distribution of cocaine, use of firearms for drug trafficking activities, smuggling of weapons from the U.S., trafficking in more than 1,800 kilograms of cocaine, and fraudulent purchase of weapons through front men.

In April, U.S. Attorney John Durham described him as “a prolific and ruthless drug trafficker.”

Fito was recaptured in June after a ten-hour military operation at a bunker house between Manta and Montecristi, in the province of Manabí. The criminal leader had escaped in January from the Guayaquil Regional Prison, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for organized crime, drug trafficking, and murder.

After his arrest, he was transferred aboard an Ecuadorian Air Force aircraft to the maximum-security La Roca prison in Guayaquil. Authorities later found caches of money, weapons, and jewelry buried on the property used as a hideout.

Extradition Process

The president of the CNJ explained that the passive extradition process will be carried out in accordance with national law. During the corresponding hearing, Fito must answer whether or not he consents to his extradition to the U.S. authorities.

His attorney in the U.S., Alexei Schacht, announced that he will travel to Ecuador this week to meet with his client and evaluate the legal implications of the process.