By Spy Uganda Correspondent
In a dramatic turn in the global war against organized crime, José Adolfo Macías Villamar—better known by his feared alias “Fito”—was arraigned in a U.S. federal court in Brooklyn on Monday, following his historic extradition from Ecuador.
Long considered one of Latin America’s most dangerous drug lords, the elusive Fito arrived under heavily armed escort, marking a significant milestone in international criminal justice cooperation.
Fito, the infamous leader of Ecuador’s Los Choneros gang, pleaded not guilty to a seven-count federal indictment, which includes charges of international cocaine trafficking, firearms smuggling, and conspiracy to acquire illegal weapons in the U.S.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Fito transformed Los Choneros into a transnational cartel—with deep ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel—responsible for smuggling tons of cocaine into the United States and trafficking American weapons south into Ecuador.
Prosecutors described Fito as a “high flight risk,” citing his well-documented history of bribery, violent retaliation, and multiple high-profile prison escapes. He will remain in federal custody without bail, with his next court appearance scheduled for September 19, 2025.
Fito’s name evokes more than drug trafficking—it represents a reign of violence and the audacious ability to vanish from high-security prisons.
In 2013, he escaped La Roca Prison with 17 other inmates, overpowering guards and fleeing by boat across Ecuador’s Daule River. Though later recaptured, his influence inside prison only grew.
By January 2024, while housed in Ecuador’s top-security Litoral Penitentiary, Fito disappeared again—this time sparking national chaos. Authorities later revealed he had enjoyed a life of luxury behind bars, allegedly hosting cockfighting matches, using cellphones freely, and even orchestrating criminal operations from his cell.
His escape triggered a wave of prison riots, police abductions, bombings, and attacks on media houses—forcing Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa to declare a state of emergency and deploy the military to retake dozens of prisons nationwide.
After 17 months on the run, Fito was finally captured on June 25, 2025, in a high-risk dawn raid on a luxury compound in Manta, Ecuador. Hidden inside a sophisticated underground bunker, he was discovered after investigators tracked his three-year-old daughter, who inadvertently led them to a concealed entrance beneath the villa.
Shortly after his arrest, Fito was extradited under a new 2024 bilateral agreement between Ecuador and the United States. President Noboa took to X (formerly Twitter), declaring: “Goodbye forever, Fito.”
This marks the first time an Ecuadorian national has been extradited directly to face federal charges in the U.S., a move hailed by American officials as a “watershed moment” in transnational law enforcement.
The DEA and FBI allege that under Fito’s leadership, Los Choneros smuggled hundreds of assault rifles and handguns from the U.S. to arm sicarios (hitmen)—fueling narco-terrorism, political assassinations, and massacres across Ecuador and Colombia.
If convicted, Macías Villamar faces life imprisonment. Prosecutors have described him as a “grave threat to international stability.” Meanwhile, human rights organizations are calling for further investigations into the state corruption and institutional breakdowns that allowed his empire to flourish.
As one senior federal prosecutor stated at the courthouse steps:
“Today’s arraignment is not just a legal proceeding—it’s justice catching up with a man who for too long ruled through fear, corruption, and blood. For the first time, Fito is facing accountability on American soil.”
