Prosecutors in Ecuador have charged a former interior minister and six others on suspicion of being involved in the assassination of a presidential candidate in 2023.

José Serrano and the head of cartel Los Lobos, Wilmer "Pipo" Chavarria, were implicated in the murder of Fernando Villavicencio at a campaign event in the capital, Quito, days before the election.

Five people linked to the criminal gang were jailed over the hit in 2024, while Pipo was captured in Spain last year, having faked his own death.

Villavicencio, a journalist turned prominent legislator, was known for his anti-corruption stance and was one of few candidates to allege links between organised crime and government officials.

He had continued to appear at public campaigns after being given a security detail due to his receiving a number of death threats.

Daniel Noboa, who ultimately went on to win the election and become Ecuador's president, has taken a hardline military approach to combatting crime gangs.

The five convicted over Villavicencio's murder in 2024 were said to have orchestrated the hit. The alleged gunman was shot dead at the scene, while six other men were found murdered in prison while awaiting trial.

The seven named by the Ecuadorean Attorney General's Office on Saturday were accused of playing an indirect role in the killing - many of whom had links to Los Lobos, or "The Wolves", one of the nation's most powerful criminal gangs.

Five of these were now considered fugitives, it said.

Serrano and Xavier Jordán were currently located in the US, former assemblyman Ronny Aleaga was in Venezuela, while Pipo remained in Spain with an extradition request pending.

The Attorney General's Office has requested Interpol red notices for their capture and extradition.

Ángel Esteban Aguilar, also known as Lobo Menor, was arrested in Mexico City in March and returned to Ecuador after a red notice was issued over the murder of Villavicencio.

 Ángel Esteban Aguilar (centre) was arrested in Mexico City in March after fleeing Ecuador

 

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2013 for the murder of Serrano's brother but fled after being granted parole.

The other accused is senior Los Lobos member Luis Arboleda.

Pre-trial hearings are currently taking place and a judge will decide whether prosecutors have a case that can proceed to a full trial.

Ecuador's location - sandwiched between Colombia and Peru, the world's largest producers of cocaine - has turned it into a key transit country for the illicit drug, with cartels like Los Lobos using corruption and violence to control supply routes.

It is said to have deep connections to the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Mexico.