The Ecuadorian justice system has given the green light for the extradition to the United States so that he can be tried for large-scale drug trafficking and the use of firearms,” the National Court stated in a press release.
The National Court of Justice of Ecuador approved on Wednesday the extradition to the United States of a right-hand man of the drug trafficker “Fito,” leader of a powerful Ecuadorian criminal group and a key figure in the expansion of drug trafficking from South America. Darío Peñafiel, alias “Topo,” was arrested in September in the Ecuadorian Amazon, where he is suspected of coordinating illegal mineral extraction. Authorities say “Topo” had ties to a dissident faction of the Colombian guerrilla group FARC and is wanted by a court in New York.
One of the most powerful drug traffickers in Ecuador The Ecuadorian justice system has given its approval for his extradition to the United States “so that he can be tried for large-scale drug trafficking and the use of firearms,” the National Court stated in a press release. “Topo” was previously imprisoned in Ecuador for kidnapping and association with criminals, but was released after serving part of his sentence. He was then investigated for the murder of a police officer, but the case was dismissed by a judge.
According to local media, he met Adolfo Macías, alias “Fito,” while in detention at a prison in Guayaquil (southwest). He then became his right-hand man and after his release, he directed illegal gold extraction activities on his behalf. “Fito,” considered one of the most powerful drug traffickers in Ecuador at the head of the criminal group Los Chroneros, was recaptured in June 2025 after a highly publicized escape, and then extradited to the United States as part of President Daniel Noboa’s campaign against crime, an ally of the Trump administration.
(Note: The content is about the approval of extradition of a criminal from Ecuador to the United States for drug trafficking offenses.)
