The powerful Ecuadorean gang leader Adolfo Macías Villamar as Villamar has been extradited to the US to face charges of drug and arms trafficking, BBC reported.

Known as "Fito", he was recaptured in June, more than a year after he escaped from a high-security prison where he was serving a 34-year sentence for a series of crimes. 

He will appear in a US federal court on Monday, where he will plead not guilty to international charges of drug and weapons trafficking, his lawyer told Reuters. 

Macías was leader of Los Choneros gang, which is linked to powerful criminal organisations from Mexico and the Balkans. He is also suspected of having ordered the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023, according to BBC.