FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Adolfo Macias, known by the nickname "Fito", is considered the most powerful drug trafficker in Ecuador and the head of the criminal organization "Coneros". He was arrested in late June in the city of Manta, after 18 months on the run, and has now consented to his extradition to the United States, where he is accused of cocaine and weapons trafficking.
His arrest marked the end of a high-profile manhunt, following his spectacular escape in January 2024 from a maximum-security prison in Guayaquil, where he was serving a 34-year prison sentence for participation in organized crime, drug trafficking and murder.
During the hearing, which was held via videoconference from his cell, "Fito" appeared dressed in an orange uniform, with a long beard, and responded monotonously "yes, I accept," when asked by the panel about his extradition.
With the court's decision, the process of his transfer to the US can now proceed. All that is awaited is the official signature of President Daniel Noboa to give the green light for the transfer.
According to authorities, this is the first extradition of an Ecuadorian citizen to the US since the relevant legislation was revised through a referendum in 2024, a measure that was part of President Noboa's strategy to combat organized crime.
Fito's escape marked the beginning of an unprecedented wave of violence in the country: dozens of murders, explosions, the kidnapping of more than 200 police and prison officials, and even a takeover of a television station by masked men. In May, the prosecutor investigating the latest case was killed.
At the height of the crisis, the president declared Ecuador in a state of "internal armed conflict," mobilizing the military to suppress criminal organizations, which were officially recognized as terrorist groups.
Ecuador has become a key transit point for the global cocaine trade in recent years, due to its geographical location, between Colombia and Peru, the two largest cocaine-producing countries in the world, but also its dollarized economy and strategically important ports in the Pacific.
"Fito's" criminal activities expanded within and across borders, culminating in his connection to the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in August 2023.
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