Ecuador charges ex-minister over presidential candidate assassination case

Ecuadorian prosecutors have indicted a former interior minister and six others over the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The victim, known for his anti-corruption stance, was killed at a campaign event in Quito just days before the election. Among those implicated were José Serrano and Wilmer Pipo Chavarria, the latter being the head of cartel Los Lobos, also known as "The Wolves."

Five individuals linked to the criminal gang were imprisoned in 2024, while Pipo was apprehended in Spain last year after having previously faked his death.

Villavicencio, a journalist and legislator, was targeted due to his alleged connections between organized crime and government officials. Despite receiving numerous death threats, he continued to appear at public events. Daniel Noboa, who later won the presidency, adopted a stringent military strategy to combat crime gangs.

The seven named by Ecuador's Attorney General's Office in 2025 are suspected of playing an indirect role in Villavicencio's murder, many of them having ties to Los Lobos. Four of these individuals remain fugitives, with Serrano and Xavier Jordán currently in the US, Ronny Aleaga in Venezuela, Pipo in Spain (with an extradition request pending), and Ángel Esteban Aguilar, also known as Lobo Menor, arrested in Mexico City and returned to Ecuador.

Aguilar was previously sentenced to 20 years for a murder his brother, which Lobo Menor fled after being granted parole.

The investigation against these individuals stems from Villavicencio's enduring presence at campaign events despite security measures, as well as the deep connections between Ecuador and drug cartels, particularly Los Lobos. Ecuador, situated between Colombia and Peru, serves as a significant transit hub for illicit drugs, often employing corruption and violence to control supply routes.