Notorious Ecuadoran Drug Trafficker Adolfo Macias Pleads Not Guilty In US Court

Last Updated:July 21, 2025, 23:39 IST

The leader of the Los Choneros gang delivered his “not guilty” plea in a federal court in Brooklyn through his lawyer and with the help of an interpreter, AFP reported.

Ecuadoran drug trafficker Adolfo Macias pleads not guilty (Representative/News18)

Notorious Ecuadoran drug trafficker Adolfo Macias has pleaded not guilty to narcotics charges in a court in the United States on Monday, nearly a month after he was arrested again after he escaped from a maximum security penitentiary in 2024.

The leader of the Los Choneros gang delivered his “not guilty" plea in a federal court in Brooklyn through his lawyer and with the help of an interpreter, AFP reported.

The man denied seven charges, which included drug trafficking and arms trafficking – which is punishable by 20 years to life imprisonment.

“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," US attorney Joseph Nocella said in a statement ahead of hearing on Monday.

“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."

In April, the US Attorney’s Office filed charges against Macias for allegedly being involved in cocaine trafficking, conspiracy, and gun-related crimes, including smuggling weapons.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that Macias “will soon face justice in the US for running a dangerous international criminal group."

The flight carrying Macias from Ecuador arrived in New York state late Sunday.

Last week, Macias—who was once a taxi driver but later became a crime leader—agreed in a court in Quito to be sent to the US to face these charges.

Macias is the first person from Ecuador to be extradited under a new law passed last year. The law was approved after a public vote, where President Daniel Noboa asked citizens to support tougher action against criminal gangs.

Ecuador, once a peaceful country located between Colombia and Peru—the world’s top cocaine producers—has seen a rise in violence as rival gangs linked to Mexican and Colombian cartels fight for power.

In January 2024, after Macias escaped from prison, President Noboa declared a state of “internal armed conflict". He sent the military and tanks into the streets to take down the gangs.

Macias’s escape led to a wave of violence and a large operation by police and the military to catch him. The government even offered a $1 million reward for information that would lead to his capture.

On June 25, Macias was found hiding in a bunker under floor tiles in a luxury house in Manta, a port city known as the base of his gang, Los Choneros. President Noboa said Macias should be extradited “the sooner the better."

(With AFP inputs)

United States of America (USA)

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