Notorious drug lord dubbed "Fito" extradited to U.S. from Ecuador, arrives in New York

[Eugene]

Source: CBS/AP

Notorious drug lord dubbed "Fito" extradited to U.S. from Ecuador, arrives in New York

Updated on: July 21, 2025 / 6:36 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Ecuador on Sunday extradited to the United States the leader of a violent Ecuadorian gang who relied on hitmen, bribes and military weapons to do business. It marks the first time an Ecuadorian has been extradited to the U.S. directly from Ecuador.

José Adolfo Macías Villamar, whose nickname is "Fito," escaped from a prison in Ecuador last year and was recaptured in late June. In April, a U.S. Attorney indicted him in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States.

Macías "was removed from the La Roca Detention Center under the custody of the National Police and Armed Forces for the appropriate proceedings in the context of an extradition process," Ecuador's government agency responsible for overseeing prisons, SNAI, said in a message sent to journalists.

Details of the handover were not specified.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/drug-lord-fito-extradited-us-from-ecuador/

[rampartd]

1. i bet fito can afford a pardon