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Key Ecuador cartel figure detained in Mexico City
Mexican authorities have arrested Ángel Esteban Aguilar Morales, a high-ranking member of Ecuador's Los Lobos gang, in connection with the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, officials confirmed on Thursday.
Ties to Villavicencio's killing
Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg stated Aguilar-known by the alias Lobo Menor (Little Wolf)-was wanted for his alleged role in ordering the murder. Villavicencio, an anti-corruption campaigner and former journalist, was shot dead outside a Quito rally in August 2023.
Five individuals linked to Los Lobos, including cell leader Carlos Edwin Angulo (The Invisible), were convicted for the assassination in 2024. Prosecutors claim Angulo orchestrated the attack from prison, though he denies involvement.
International manhunt and capture
Aguilar had evaded authorities using a forged Colombian identity under the name Juan Carlos Montero Mestre. Ecuadorian and Colombian police tracked him for two months across Medellín and Itaguí before Mexican security forces detained him in Mexico City, according to Primicias.
Mexico's Security Minister Omar García Harfuch confirmed Aguilar was subject to an Interpol red notice for drug trafficking, extortion, and homicide. Colombian President Gustavo Petro called him "one of the world's most notorious assassins."
"This arrest delivers a major blow to transnational organized crime and underscores the success of trilateral cooperation between Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico,"
Gustavo Petro, Colombian President
Cartel's reach and Ecuador's crisis
Los Lobos, led by Wilmer Pipo Chavarría Barré until his 2025 capture in Spain, is accused of terrorizing Ecuador through brutal violence. The U.S. designated the group a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2025, citing ties to Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Ecuador's strategic location between cocaine producers Colombia and Peru has made it a critical transit hub. An estimated 70% of cocaine from the region passes through Ecuador, fueling gang violence and corruption.
Prior convictions and parole controversy
Aguilar was previously sentenced to 20 years in 2013 for the murder of José Serrano's brother, Ecuador's former interior minister. Prosecutors allege he fled after being granted parole, as reported by El Universal.
Broader crackdown
Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa has intensified military operations against gangs, aligning with U.S. anti-drug efforts. The Trump administration had previously cited combating trafficking as justification for military actions in Latin America.
