NEW YORK — The leader of a violent Ecuadorian gang has been indicted in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
José Adolfo Macías Villamar has led Los Choneros and its “network of assassins and drug and weapon traffickers” since at least 2020, U.S. Attorney John Durham said in a news release.
“The defendant was a ruthless leader and prolific drug trafficker for a violent transnational criminal organization,” he said.
The seven-count indictment unsealed in Brooklyn charges Villamar and an unidentified co-defendant with international cocaine distribution, conspiracy and weapons counts, including smuggling firearms from the United States.
Macias Villamar is not in U.S. custody, authorities said.
In January 2024, he was discovered missing from his prison cell in Quito, Ecuador, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking.
Earlier this month, the Ecuadorian government announced the reward for the capture of Villamar, whose nickname is “Fito,” would be increased to $1 million.
