Ecuador on Sunday extradited to the United States the leader of a violent gang who relied on hit men, bribes and military weapons to do business. José Adolfo Macías Villamar, whose nickname is “Fito,” escaped from an Ecuadoran prison in January 2024 and was recaptured late last month.

Security forces stand outside the National Court of Justice following a hearing for the extradition of Ecuadorean gang leader Jose Adolfo Macias, known as "Fito," who on Friday accepted the court's request to be extradited to the United States to face drug and gun charges,