Overview

• He is held in federal custody in Brooklyn and is expected to enter a not guilty plea at his upcoming arraignment.
• He faces seven counts brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office including drug trafficking, conspiracy and firearms offenses, each punishable by life imprisonment.
• Ecuadorian authorities recaptured him in late June in Manta nearly 18 months after his escape from a Guayaquil prison in early 2024.
• U.S. prosecutors allege his Los Choneros gang collaborated with Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel to smuggle tons of cocaine along key transit routes.
• His transfer marks the first direct extradition of an Ecuadorian citizen to U.S. courts under a bilateral agreement.