Ecuador gang leader 'Fito' to plead not guilty in US after extradition

QUITO, July 20 (Reuters) - Ecuadorean gang leader Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as "Fito," is set to appear in U.S. federal court on Monday, where he will plead not guilty to international charges of drug and weapons trafficking, his lawyer said.

Macias, the leader of the Los Choneros gang, was taken out of prison in Ecuador earlier on Sunday to be handed over to U.S. authorities.

The U.S. and Ecuadorean governments have not confirmed his extradition. Flight data shows that a U.S. government plane departed from Guayaquil after 2 p.m. local time.

"Mr. Macias and I will appear tomorrow before the Brooklyn federal court ... where he will plead not guilty," his lawyer, Alexei Schacht, told Reuters. "After, he will be held in a to-be-determined prison."

Macias escaped last year from Ecuadorean prison, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for a slew of crimes. He was recaptured last month.

The U.S. Department of Justice has stated that under Macias' direction, Los Choneros committed violent acts against law enforcement, politicians, lawyers, prosecutors and civilians.

Ecuador's government says the gang exercises vast control over the nation's prisons, which are plagued by corruption and overcrowding.

Ecuadoreans voted in favor of allowing the extradition of citizens in a referendum called by President Daniel Noboa, who has vowed to crack down on rising crime.