Ecuadorean authorities announced on Saturday that they had apprehended a leader of Los Lobos, a notorious gang accused of being involved in the assassination of the country’s anti-corruption presidential candidate last August.
Ecuador has been facing challenges in containing violence, prompting the declaration of a 90-day state of emergency to address the activities of 22 gangs, including Los Lobos, which are classified as terrorist organizations.
During the apprehension of a man known by the alias Vicente, officials reported that two alleged criminals sustained injuries. Additionally, soldiers conducted 12 arrests and seized $200,000, along with various weapons, ammunition, and explosives.
Last month, the attorney general’s office revealed that five suspects linked to the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who was fatally shot in Quito before the election, are set to stand trial.
Two key figures from Los Lobos, who are accused of orchestrating Villavicencio’s assassination, are already in custody. Villavicencio, a former lawmaker and investigative journalist, was targeted while leaving a campaign event, marking one of the most prominent casualties in Ecuador’s escalating violence.
Authorities in Ecuador typically withhold the full names of individuals undergoing prosecution. Reports suggest that Los Lobos boasts thousands of members and operates within the country’s volatile prison system as well.
(Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb and Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Stefanie Eschenbacher; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
