Ecuador gang leader ‘Fito’ accepts extradition to US

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QUITO (Reuters) -Ecuadorean gang leader Jose Adolfo Macias, known as “Fito,” on Friday accepted a court’s request to be extradited to the United States to face drug and gun charges.

Macias, who escaped from prison in January 2024, was recaptured in late June by security forces in the coastal city of Manta and transferred to a maximum-security prison.

“Yes, I accept, your honor,” he told the judge presiding over the case, appearing at the hearing virtually.

Macias accepting the extradition request will speed up the process, now moving on to the presidency for confirmation before authorities can coordinate with their U.S. counterparts to negotiate the handover.

Rejecting the extradition request would have kicked off a potentially months-long process before the head of the National Court of Justice ruled whether or not to hand him over.

In Ecuador, Macias was serving a 34-year sentence for various crimes, including drug trafficking, organized crime and murder.

Macias will face seven charges, including for drug and arms trafficking, in a U.S. federal court in Brooklyn, New York. These charges were announced months before his recapture.

The U.S. Department of Justice has stated that under Macias’ direction, gang Los Choneros committed violent acts against law enforcement, Ecuadorean politicians, lawyers, prosecutors and civilians.

Ecuadorean authorities have accused the criminal group of extortion, murder and drug trafficking, and allege it exercises vast control over Ecuador’s prisons, which are plagued by crime and overcrowding.

The Ecuadorean government had offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture. Authorities have also arrested Macias’ relatives and seized several of his assets throughout the Andean nation.

The extradition of Ecuadoreans was approved in a referendum called by President Daniel Noboa in April 2024.

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Editing by Brendan O’Boyle)