Source link : https://las-vegas-news.com/ecuador-court-paves-way-for-los-choneros-lieutenant-topo-to-face-u-s-justice/
A Key Player in Los Choneros’ Shadow Empire (Image Credits: Unsplash)
Quito, April 23 – Ecuador’s National Court of Justice authorized the extradition of Dario Peñafiel, alias “Topo,” to New York on Wednesday, marking another blow against the country’s entrenched drug gangs. The high-ranking member of the Los Choneros organization faces charges of large-scale drug trafficking and firearms offenses in the United States. This decision follows diplomatic assurances from Washington and underscores Quito’s ongoing campaign to dismantle powerful criminal networks.[1][2]
A Key Player in Los Choneros’ Shadow Empire
Los Choneros ranks among Ecuador’s most formidable criminal groups, labeled a terrorist organization alongside about 20 others by authorities. The gang controls swaths of drug export routes from Guayaquil ports and fuels widespread violence through prisons and streets. Peñafiel emerged as a trusted lieutenant to Adolfo Macías Villamar, better known as “Fito,” the group’s longtime leader.[2]
Peñafiel and Fito forged their alliance inside a Guayaquil prison, a notorious hub for organized crime figures. Upon release, Peñafiel relocated to Ecuador’s eastern Amazon region, particularly Orellana province, where he oversaw illegal gold mining operations. These activities often serve as a front for laundering drug proceeds and funding further trafficking. Authorities linked him to dissident factions of Colombia’s former FARC guerrillas,…
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Author : Matthias Binder
Publish date : 2026-04-23 12:37:00
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