Ecuadorean prosecutors have charged former interior minister José Serrano and six others, including cartel leader Wilmer "Pipo" Chavarria, over the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. Villavicencio, a journalist-turned-legislator known for his anti-corruption stance, was shot dead at a campaign rally in Quito days before the election, having continued public appearances despite receiving death threats and being assigned a security detail. The new charges mark a significant escalation in the long-running investigation, implicating a former senior government official alongside one of the country's most powerful criminal gangs, Los Lobos.

Five people were already jailed in 2024 for orchestrating the killing, while several others linked to the case have since died or been captured, including Chavarria, who was arrested in Spain last year after faking his own death. Of the seven newly named, five are considered fugitives: Serrano and Xavier Jordán are believed to be in the US, Ronny Aleaga in Venezuela, and Chavarria remains in Spain awaiting a pending extradition request. Interpol red notices have been requested for their capture, while another suspect, Ángel Esteban Aguilar, was arrested in Mexico City in March and returned to Ecuador. The case underscores Ecuador's deepening struggles with drug-related violence, given its position between Colombia and Peru and ties between local gangs and Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel.