Ecuadorean prosecutors have charged former interior minister José Serrano and six others, including the head of the Los Lobos cartel, Wilmer "Pipo" Chavarria, in connection with the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. Villavicencio, a journalist-turned-legislator known for exposing alleged ties between organised crime and government officials, was shot dead at a campaign rally in Quito days before the election. The Attorney General's Office says five of the seven newly charged individuals are now fugitives, with Serrano and another suspect located in the United States, and Interpol red notices requested for their capture and extradition.