What will Fito say? The ‘unintended consequences’ of his extradition to the U.S. could produce shocks

The long and winding story of Adolfo Macías, also known as Fito, is far from over, according to two legal experts. “Macías is about to begin negotiating for a lighter sentence in New York and don’t be surprised if he names some important people as accomplices,” says Nivaldo Ramos, a Quito law professor.

Adolfo Macías, alias Fito, may be ready to name names for a lighter prison sentence.

“At this point, Fito knows his career as a gang boss is over so his priority is making a deal with prosecutors,” says Ramos. “I predict he will reveal some big names in government and business who were part of his criminal operation.”

Adds Ramos, “I’m not sure the government considered the fallout from the potential revelations. They were just glad to have him off their hands and out of the country but there could be unintended consequences.”

Legal and security consultant Hugo Acero agrees with Ramos and says the U.S. interest in Macías is primarily to obtain information about the Mexican and Colombian drug cartels. “He [Fito] may be the number one criminal in Ecuador, but he is considered a mid-level operator by the U.S. Justice Department. They will be willing to grant a reduced sentence in exchange for his cooperation. They are also interested in the names of business executives and public officials who worked with him in Ecuador, since they are part of the larger cartel network.”

According to Acero, those executives could include bankers and business owners who laundered money, as well as export agents who bribed port officials to allow containers of cocaine to ship out of Guayaquil and Machala. “I wouldn’t be surprised if owners of banana plantations and fishing fleets come up in the negotiations,” says Acero. “And then, of course, he will probably name dozens of public officials and politicians, judges, ministers and the like.”

Beyond gaining information about cartel operations, U.S. federal prosecutors are going after the international drug transport network, says Ramos. “Because Ecuador is the second largest cocaine exporter, after Colombia, they want to identify the main players in the system and believe Macías will name names. It will be very interesting how this plays out.”