From taxi driver to gang lord: Who is Fito, Ecuador's most wanted man extradited to US to face justice?
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "From taxi driver to gang lord: Who is Fito, Ecuador's most wanted man extradited to US to face justice?")
Drug trafficker Adolfo Macias, alias Fito, at the air base in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on June 25, 2025, after his recapture Photograph: (AFP)
The leader of the Los Choneros gang was arrested on June 25, six months after he escaped from the Guayaquil prison in Ecuador, where he was serving 34 years for homicide and drug trafficking. Here is what you should know about Fito
Jose Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito”, was extradited on Sunday (Jul 20) to the US to face charges including drug trafficking and violent crimes. The leader of the Los Choneros gang was arrested on June 25, six months after he escaped from the Guayaquil prison in Ecuador, where he was serving 34 years for homicide and drug trafficking. Here is what you should know about Fito, the man who went from taxi driver to gang lord.
Fito's arrest from a bunker in Ecuador
In June this year, Fito was taken into custody from an underground bunker, after a 10-hour police-army operation, with no shots fired.
The bunker in a Manta house was accessed via a sliding trapdoor in the stone floor. Fito's hideout had air conditioning, bed, fan, fridge, gym and games room.
He did not resist arrest and was flown to Guayaquil, where he was transferred to La Roca maximum-security prison before Sunday's extradition.
Fito was seen in shorts, a blue T-shirt, and flip flops, escorted by armed officers.
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What will Fito face in US after extradition?
Fito, who faces a seven-count US indictment for cocaine distribution, conspiracy and weapons smuggling, agreed to extradition on July 11. In February 2024, the US treasury department sanctioned Los Choneros and Fito for drug trafficking and violent crimes.
On Sunday, he became the first Ecuadorian extradited to the US.
He landed in New York to face trial in Brooklyn’s federal court.
Fito even appeared in a music video in prison, from where he operated his gang
Fito’s influence extended inside the prison, where he was given mobile phones, internet, and even lavish parties.
He continued to run Los Choneros from jail and is suspected of ordering the murder of politician Fernando Villavicencio before the 2023 election.
Before his escape from prison, Fito appeared in a narcocorrido (traditional Mexican music) video filmed partially inside the jail, with his daughter glorifying his crimes.
Noboa had made it a personal mission to control Fito
Fito's escape from jail in January came just months after Daniel Noboa's election as president in 2023.
After Fito's jailbreak, Ecuador witnessed widespread violence.
President Noboa declared an internal armed conflict and designated Fito's Los Choneros as well as 21 other gangs as terrorist organisations.
Fito's life from petty robbery to organised crime
Fito's full name is José Adolfo Macías Villamar. Born on 30 September 1979 in Manta, Fito was raised in the coastal city of Manabí, a hub for drug operations. He once worked as a taxi driver and mechanic. In 2000, he entered the world of crime, when he was arrested for robbery. By 2011, he faced charges for drug trafficking and organised crime and was lodged in La Roca Prison, serving part of a 34-year sentence for murder and drug-related offences.
Despite imprisonment, he assumed leadership of Los Choneros in 2020 after the assassination of Jorge Luis Zambrano.
A drug empire in Latin America
Under Fito, his gang allied with Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and Colombia’s Gulf Clan, making Ecuador a major cocaine transit hub. More than 70 per cent of global cocaine traffic passed through Ecuador ports.
The gang's brutal tactics included decapitations and mutilations of rivals in Ecuador. His January 2024 prison escape had triggered nationwide violence, including riots and a TV station takeover.
