Ecuador's biggest drug lord pleads ‘not guilty’ in New York after extradition

Ecuadorean drug trafficker Jose Adolfo Macias, alias 'Fito', leader of the Los Choneros gang, pleaded "not guilty" to seven charges against him in his first court appearance in New York after being extradited from his home country.

Macias testified through his defense before Judge Vera Scanlon, of the Eastern District Court of New York, who read him his rights. The man was relaxed and smiling, said media present at the hearing.

New York prosecutors accuse the Ecuadorean drug lord of "flooding" the United States and other countries with drugs, and promoting "extreme measures of violence in his quest for power and control."

The defendant "thought he could traffic poison into our country, smuggle U.S. weapons for his assassins, and promote his criminal enterprise using mayhem and bloodshed," said acting DEA Administrator Robert Murphy.

"He was wrong," he added.

The crimes 'Fito' is charged with

So far, the arms and drug trafficker will remain in custody due to his "dangerousness" and "high flight risk," awaiting trial in a case considered "complex."

When asked by the judge about a possible plea bargain that would prevent him from sitting in the dock, his lawyer Alexei Schacht stated that he "needs time to review the file and decide with my client."

The judge is charging Macias with seven crimes, including conspiracy for the international distribution of cocaine; use of firearms to facilitate drug trafficking; smuggling firearms from the U.S.; and conspiracy for the fraudulent purchase of firearms, among others.

These crimes are punishable by a minimum of 20 years to life imprisonment. The next court date will be September 19.

Donald Trump’s administration "remains committed to ending the scourge of drug trafficking and working with regional partners like (Ecuador's) President (Daniel) Noboa to make our region safer and stronger," said the head of U.S. diplomacy, Marco Rubio, on social media.

Macías was captured on June 25 in Manta, a city in western Ecuador where Los Choneros have their stronghold, and was extradited to New York on Sunday. He had escaped from a maximum security prison in 2024.

Blow to organized crime?

Although for Ecuadorian government spokeswoman Carolina Jaramillo, the extradition of 'Fito' is "a strong blow to organized crime" in the country, his capture has not managed to reduce violence in Ecuador, where some 20 gangs dedicated to drug trafficking, extortion, illegal mining and contract killings operate.

Fito is the first Ecuadorian extradited by his own country since this possibility was reestablished in 2024, following a referendum promoted by President Daniel Noboa to reform the law in the midst of his war on crime.