Ecuador Arrests Leader of Drug Gang on U.S. Extradition Request

On June 25, 2025, Ecuadorian law enforcement arrested the country’s most notorious drug trafficker, José Adolfo “Fito” Macłas Villamar. Specialized Ecuadorian police and military intelligence officers, with help from the United States (U.S.), found him hiding in a basement in the coastal city of Manta, in a bunker under the property of his romantic partner.