Ecuador charges ex-minister over presidential candidate assassination case
Prosecutors accuse six others, including the leader of cartel Los Lobos, of having an indirect role in the murder of Fernando Villavicencio.
Ecuadorian authorities have filed charges against a former interior minister and six other individuals in connection with the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
Villavicencio was fatally shot at a campaign event in Quito, the capital, just days before the election. Among those implicated in his murder are former Interior Minister José Serrano and Wilmer "Pipo" Chavarria, identified as the leader of the Los Lobos cartel.
In 2024, five individuals associated with the criminal gang were incarcerated for the killing. Pipo, who had previously faked his own death, was apprehended in Spain last year.
Villavicencio, a journalist who became a prominent legislator, was recognized for his anti-corruption stance and was one of the few candidates to allege connections between organized crime and government officials. Despite receiving numerous death threats and being assigned a security detail, he continued to participate in public campaigns.
Daniel Noboa, who ultimately won the election and became Ecuador's president, has adopted a stringent military approach to combat criminal gangs.
The five individuals convicted in 2024 for Villavicencio's murder were reportedly the orchestrators of the attack. The alleged gunman was killed at the scene, and six other men awaiting trial were found murdered in prison.
The seven individuals named by the Ecuadorean Attorney General's Office on Saturday are accused of having an indirect role in the killing. Many of them reportedly have ties to Los Lobos, or "The Wolves," one of the nation's most influential criminal organizations. Five of these individuals are currently considered fugitives.
Serrano and Xavier Jordán are presently in the United States, while former assemblyman Ronny Aleaga is in Venezuela. Pipo remains in Spain, with an extradition request pending. The Attorney General's Office has requested Interpol red notices for their apprehension and extradition.
Ángel Esteban Aguilar, also known as Lobo Menor, was arrested in Mexico City in March and subsequently returned to Ecuador after a red notice was issued in connection with Villavicencio's murder. Aguilar had been sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2013 for the murder of Serrano's brother but fled after being granted parole.
The other accused individual is Luis Arboleda, a high-ranking member of Los Lobos.
Pre-trial hearings are currently underway, during which a judge will determine if the prosecutors' case is strong enough to proceed to a full trial.
Ecuador's geographical position, situated between Colombia and Peru—the world's largest cocaine producers—has made it a crucial transit country for illicit drugs. Cartels like Los Lobos exploit corruption and violence to control supply routes and are believed to have strong connections to Mexico's powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel.