QUITO (Reuters) -Ecuadorean gang leader Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as "Fito," is set to appear in U.S. federal court on Monday, where he will plead not guilty to international charges of drug and weapons trafficking,

Ecuador on Sunday extradited to the United States the leader of a violent gang who relied on hit men, bribes and military weapons to do business. José Adolfo Macías Villamar, whose nickname is “Fito,” escaped from an Ecuadoran prison in January 2024 and was recaptured late last month.