Ecuador's Prosecutor's Office has charged former Interior Minister José Serrano and six other people in connection with the 2023 murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, BBC News reports.

According to investigators, Serrano and Wilmer “Pipo” Chavarría, the leader of the criminal gang Los Lobos, may have played an indirect role in organizing the killing. Several other defendants are also linked to the gang. Prosecutors have requested Interpol red notices for five suspects believed to be outside the country so they can be detained and later extradited.

Villavicencio, a journalist and former lawmaker, was shot dead during a campaign event in Quito in August 2023, just days before the election. He campaigned against corruption and spoke openly about ties between organized crime and government officials. Before the killing, the candidate had repeatedly received threats but continued to take part in campaign events.

In 2024, five people linked to Los Lobos were convicted of organizing the murder. The alleged gunman was killed at the scene, and six other defendants were later found dead in prison.

Chavarría was detained in Spain last year after faking his own death. Another suspect, Ángel Esteban Aguilar, was arrested in Mexico City in March and extradited to Ecuador.

Preliminary hearings are now underway. The court must determine whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to a full trial.

In recent years, Ecuador has faced a sharp rise in the influence of drug cartels. The country is used as a major transit route for cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru. Los Lobos is considered one of the country's most influential criminal gangs.