On Sunday, July 20, 2025, United States Marshals brought Fito, whose real name is Jose Adolfo Macias, back home to the continental United States. He was subsequently indicted on serious drug trafficking and interstate gun smuggling charges. He was moved from a maximum-security prison in Guayaquil to the city’s International Airport, presumably to facilitate his deportation. There, he was taken into custody by US officials pursuant to the extradition. This transfer represents a historic turning point in Colombia’s ongoing battle against drug-related violence spilling over from Ecuador.
In response, Ecuadorian prison authorities released the photo below of Macias. With t-shirt and shorts, helmet and bulletproof vest, Gros was flanked by heavily armed National Police agents. His extradition comes on the heels of a tumultuous period in Ecuador. This economic and political instability was exacerbated following his January 2024 jail break. Macias had a 34-year sentence for the homicide and narcotics trafficking convictions. His flight from justice ignited an era of white supremacist violence around the country.
Macias was finally apprehended last month after over a year of eluding authorities. He had been discovered hiding in an elaborate underground bunker next to a $2 million mansion located in Manabí province. His escape sent a ripple of panic through the entire city. In one high-profile example, gangs attacked a well-known television station and held the staff hostage on the air. Amidst this violence linked to his transnational criminal syndicate, President Daniel Noboa recently declared an internal armed conflict. He placed Macias’s gang, Los Choneros—as well as 21 other criminal groups operating throughout the country—on the terrorist watchlist.
In April, a federal court in Brooklyn charged Macias with seven counts of conspiracy to distribute illicit drugs and trafficking in guns. According to the federal government, Los Choneros helped ship and distribute tons of cocaine from Ecuador to the US and other countries. As his attorney Alexei Schacht explained, Macias should be in Brooklyn Federal Court on Monday.
Macias faces severe consequences if convicted. Prosecutors are asking that he be held without bail until the trial. They argue that he is dangerous to public safety and may flee. If convicted, Macias faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years and as much as life in prison.
Court documents indicate that Macias was extradited “for the sole purpose of facing prosecution,” underscoring the gravity of the charges against him and the US’s commitment to combating drug trafficking.
