Ecuador prosecutors indict former Interior Minister José Serrano and six other suspects over the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
Serrano, linked to the cartel Los Lobos, was named in connection with a shooting that killed Villavicencio at a campaign rally in Quito days before the election. The indictment follows the 2024 convictions of five gang members and the capture of cartel leader Wilmer 'Pipo' Chavarria in Spain, who had faked his own death.
Villavicencio, a former journalist and outspoken anti‑corruption advocate, was one of the few candidates to publicly accuse the government of ties with organized crime. His death, and the subsequent investigation, have intensified President Daniel Noboa’s hard‑line crackdown on drug gangs.
The Attorney General’s Office listed seven accused individuals, claiming they played indirect roles in the killing. Five are fugitives; Serrano and fellow suspect Xavier Jordán are in the United States, former assemblyman Ronny Aleaga faces extradition from Venezuela, and Chavarria remains in Spain awaiting extradition.
International agencies, including Interpol, have been tasked with issuing red notices for the suspects. Additionally, Ángel Esteban Aguilar, known as Lobo Menor, was arrested in Mexico City in March and returned to Ecuador following a red notice linked to Villavicencio’s murder.
Ecuador’s strategic position between Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest cocaine producers, makes it a key transit country for illicit drugs. Los Lobos, with alleged ties to Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel, uses corruption and violence to control supply routes.
