In a move that echoes the growing tensions over crime and politics in South America, Ecuador’s prosecutors have formally charged former interior minister José Serrano and seven associates with the murder of Fernando Villavicencio, a presidential campaigner shot in Quito in August 2023.
Villavicencio, a former journalist known for his anti‑corruption stance, was campaigning when a gunman opened fire on his supporters, killing him and sparing only a handful of witnesses. The incident occurred just days before the country’s general election, a period marked by heightened security sweeps and increasing violence.
Pre‑trial hearings are underway, with the court tasked to decide whether the evidence warrants a full trial. Five men have already been convicted in the 2024 murder case, while six others died in prison awaiting trial, the authorities say.
The accused are linked to the Los Lobos cartel, a powerful criminal organization that reportedly has ties to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Mexico and mints influence over drug transit routes passing through Ecuador’s strategic location between Colombia and Peru.
Current locations of the fugitives vary: Serrano and co‑accused Xavier Jordán are in the United States, Ronny Aleaga is in Venezuela, and Wilmer “Pipo” Chavarria remains in Spain with an extradition request pending, while Ángel Esteban Aguilar was recently arrested in Mexico City.
President Daniel Noboa, elected after the shooting, has pledged a hard‑line approach to combatting gang violence, signalling a shift toward militarized law enforcement. The attack and subsequent prosecutions highlight the intertwining of political ambition and organised crime in the region.
