Jose Adolfo Macías, better known as “Fito,” agreed Friday to be extradited from Ecuador to the US, where he is wanted by the US Justice Department on charges of drug and weapons trafficking.
Ecuador’s most notorious drug kingpin is headed to the United States.
The head of the criminal organization Los Choneros accepted his extradition during a hearing at the National Court of Justice.
In a statement to, Alexei Schacht, Macías’s attorney in the US, said that his client agreed to be extradited on the advice of his Ecuadorean lawyer.
“We are working hard to defend his rights and help him and his family,” Schact said.
Macías and his entire legal team are working hard to obtain the best possible outcome for him.”.
Macías escape from prison in January 2024 plunged Ecuador into chaos.
Soon after, gunmen stormed a popular TV station and held the crew hostage live on the air.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who had taken office shortly before Macías’s escape, declared a state of “internal armed conflict” within Ecuador and designated Los Choneros and 21 other gangs as terrorist organizations.
Macías is the only founding member of Los Choneros believed to be alive.
Little is known about his life before he entered the criminal underworld, but after over a decade in prison, he garnered a reputation as the gang’s money-laundering expert.
How authorities found a drug kingpin’s luxurious hideout in Ecuador.
Macías’ 2024 prison break revealed that he enjoyed numerous luxuries in prison.
He was treated to fireworks displays for his birthday, according to footage from affiliate Ecuavisa.
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