Ecuador charges ex-minister over presidential candidate assassination case

Prosecutors in Ecuador have accused seven individuals of involvement in the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The charges were filed against José Serrano, Wilmer "Pipo" Chavarria, head of cartel Los Lobos, and five others linked to the criminal gang. Villavicencio, a journalist and anti-corruption advocate, was killed at a campaign event in Quito, Ecuador's capital, days before the election.

Five convicted individuals from 2024 were sentenced to prison, with Pipo Chavarria captured in Spain last year. Daniel Noboa, who later became Ecuador's president, has pursued a strong anti-crime strategy. The five named in the recent charges had indirect roles in the assassination, with five remaining fugitives and one extradited from Spain.

The Attorney General's Office has issued Interpol red notices for the remaining fugitives to facilitate their capture and extradition. Ecuador's strategic location near major cocaine-producing countries has made it a key transit point for illicit drug trafficking, often controlled by powerful cartels like Los Lobos.