Ecuadorian man linked to Villavicencio killing arrested in Mexico, sent to Colombia
Authorities in Colombia and Mexico said an Ecuadorian man wanted in Colombia and Ecuador over the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in Quito was arrested in Mexico and later transferred to Colombia, where he was intercepted at El Dorado Airport.
Colombia’s migration authorities said the man, Ángel Esteban Aguilar Morales, arrived in Bogota on Wednesday and was intercepted when he entered Colombia. Authorities did not immediately provide details about his immigration status or whether he was formally extradited.
Colombia’s migration agency said Morales was attempting to evade immigration controls by using a false identity as a Colombian citizen. Colombian police also described him as a fugitive believed to be tied to Ecuador’s criminal gang “Los Lobos,” and said he is subject to an Interpol Red Notice.
Mexican officials said the arrest followed surveillance and intelligence work after Morales was detected the moment he entered Mexico. Mexican authorities said that after receiving information provided by Colombia, they were able to identify his location in Mexico City, and they said the arrest was carried out without the “use of violence.”
After the arrest in Mexico, authorities said Morales was placed in the custody of the National Migration Institute so officials could determine his legal status in the country. Colombian officials said they did not specify whether he had been deported.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on X that the cooperation among Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico dealt a “significant blow against transnational organized crime.” A Colombian foreign ministry representative and Colombia’s migration agency representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to the report.
The case also intersects with a long-running diplomatic dispute between Mexico and Ecuador. In April 2024, Mexico broke off diplomatic relations with Ecuador after a military raid on the Mexican Embassy in Quito, an operation that targeted former Vice President Jorge Glas, who had been seeking asylum at the embassy since late 2023.
In February, Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office presented new evidence, according to the report, seeking to formally link three individuals—including Morales—to the Villavicencio case. Police said the alleged logistical and operational role in the killing on Aug. 9, 2023 involved the time when the then presidential candidate was leaving a political rally in northern Quito.
In addition to the Villavicencio case, police indicated that Morales, known as “Lobo Menor,” allegedly has ties to Mexican cartels and to Néstor Gregorio Vera, known as Iván Mordisco. Vera is described as the leader of a dissident faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, whose members did not adhere to a 2016 peace agreement with Colombia’s government.