Ecuador charges ex-minister over presidential candidate assassination case

Ecuador’s prosecutors have filed charges against former interior minister José Serrano and six other individuals in connection with the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. Serrano and Wilmer “Pipo” Chavarria, the reputed leader of the Los Lobos cartel, are accused of involvement in the killing that took place at a campaign rally in Quito just days before the election. Five people linked to the crime were imprisoned in 2024, while Chavarria was apprehended in Spain the previous year after staging his own death. Villavicencio, a journalist turned legislator known for his anti‑corruption stance, was among the few candidates who publicly alleged collusion between organized crime and government officials. Despite receiving multiple death threats, he continued to appear at nationalist events under police protection. Daniel Noboa, who later won the presidency and assumed office, has pursued a hard‑line security strategy aimed at dismantling criminal gangs. The five individuals convicted in 2024 for Villavicencio’s murder were described as the masterminds behind the attack; the alleged gunman was found dead at the scene, and six additional suspects were later discovered dead in prison while awaiting trial. On Saturday, the Attorney General’s Office named seven suspects allegedly playing an indirect role in the killing, many of whom have ties to Los Lobos, also known as “The Wolves,” one of Ecuador’s most powerful criminal organizations. Five of the seven are currently regarded as fugitives. Serrano and Xavier Jordán are believed to be residing in the United States, former assemblyman Ronny Aleaga is in Venezuela, and Chavarria remains in Spain pending an extradition request. The Attorney General’s Office has asked Interpol to issue red notices for the apprehension and extradition of all seven individuals. Ángel Esteban Aguilar, alias Lobo Menor, was detained in Mexico City in March and subsequently returned to Ecuador after a red notice was issued in relation to Villavicencio’s death.