Mexican authorities have arrested Ángel Esteban Aguilar Morales, an Ecuadorian national wanted in connection with the 2023 assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, and transferred him to Colombia. The suspect arrived in Bogota on Wednesday and was intercepted at El Dorado Airport by Colombian migration authorities.
Aguilar, known as “Lobo Menor,” is alleged to be one of the ringleaders of the Ecuadorian criminal gang “Los Lobos” and is subject to an Interpol Red Notice. Mexican officials stated that Aguilar was detected upon entering the country and placed under real-time surveillance. Using intelligence from Colombia, authorities located him in Mexico City and arrested him without violence.
Colombia’s migration agency said Aguilar was attempting to evade immigration controls using a false identity as a Colombian citizen. According to Colombian police, he entered Mexico from Medellin using a forged passport with the aim of strengthening criminal networks in the region. Colombian President Gustavo Petro praised the police cooperation between Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico as a significant blow against transnational organised crime.
In February, Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office presented new evidence linking Aguilar and two others to the logistical and operational planning of Villavicencio’s killing on August 9, 2023. Police also indicated that Aguilar allegedly has ties to Mexican cartels and to Néstor Gregorio Vera, known as Iván Mordisco, a leader of a dissident faction of the former FARC guerrilla group.
