Overview

• Ecuador carried out its first extradition under the amended constitution by transferring Adolfo Macías Villamar to U.S. authorities
• He arrived in Brooklyn federal custody on July 21 to face seven charges, including international cocaine distribution and arms trafficking
• His attorney, Alexei Schacht, said he plans to plead not guilty at his initial appearance in Brooklyn federal court
• Security forces recaptured Fito in Manta in mid-July during a joint military-police operation after his 2024 escape from a maximum-security prison in Guayaquil
• Under Fito’s leadership, the Los Choneros gang forged ties with the Sinaloa Cartel and operates across ten provinces, driving a recent surge in homicides and bombings