Ecuador’s top court approved the extradition to the United States of Dario Penafiel, a high-ranking lieutenant of the “Los Choneros” gang. Known as “Topo,” he was arrested in September in Ecuador’s Amazon region for coordinating illegal mineral extraction.
Penafiel had ties to a dissident faction of Colombia’s FARC guerrillas and was wanted by a New York court for drug trafficking offenses and firearm use. He served part of his sentence for kidnapping and criminal conspiracy before being released, with a murder charge dismissed.
In prison, Penafiel met Adolfo Macias, alias “Fito,” Ecuador’s most powerful drug lord. After release, he worked in illegal gold extraction. Macias was recaptured in June and extradited to the U.S., indicted for cocaine importation into New York City where he pleaded not guilty.
American commandos joined Ecuadorian troops in a joint operation, Lanza Marina, targeting suspected criminal hubs linked to Los Choneros along the coast. The operation focused on a compound believed to serve as a staging ground for high-speed boats used by the gang.
Los Choneros is one of 20 criminal gangs declared terrorist groups by Ecuador. In early March, U.S. and Ecuadorian forces launched joint military operations against designated terrorist organizations in South America.