Jose Adolfo "Fito" Macias Villamar, known as the notorious leader of the Ecuador-based transnational criminal organization, Los Choneros, was extradited to face multiple charges in Brooklyn Federal Court. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, Villamar is charged with international cocoa distribution conspiracy, among other serious offenses.
United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr., announced the extradition alongside top officials from agencies including the DEA and ATF. The indictment accuses Villamar and his organization of distributing large amounts of drugs and employing extreme violence to maintain control. "As alleged, the defendant served for years as the principal leader of Los Choneros, a notoriously violent transnational criminal organization, and was a ruthless and infamous drug and firearms trafficker. The defendant and his co-conspirators flooded the United States and other countries with drugs and used extreme measures of violence in their quest for power and control," Nocella stated in the press release. Villamar was apprehended by Ecuadorian authorities on June 25 and was subsequently extradited to the United States to face charges related to his alleged crimes.
While on the run following an escape from an Ecuadorian prison, Villamar continued to coordinate the organization’s criminal activities using contraband cell phones. Ecuadorian authorities, assisted by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, played a crucial role in securing Villamar’s extradition—the first under a recent constitutional amendment allowing the extradition of Ecuadorian nationals.
Villamar was arraigned before the United States Chief Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon on charges including the use of firearms in drug trafficking and smuggling firearms from the United States. "ATF remains dedicated to working with our local, state, and federal partners to disrupt the shooting cycle by focusing on those individuals and criminal organizations responsible for the gun violence that plagues our neighborhoods," ATF Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. stated. With convictions, Villamar faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years to a maximum of a lifetime in prison, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative targeting drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations. The prosecution is being led by the International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section, with Assistant United States Attorneys overseeing the case.
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