Colombian authorities confirmed Wednesday the successful apprehension and transfer of Ángel Esteban Aguilar Morales, a key fugitive wanted for the 2023 assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The high-profile suspect, intercepted at Bogota’s El Dorado Airport, had been captured through a sophisticated multinational operation between Mexican and Colombian security forces.
Aguilar Morales, operating under the alias “Lobo Menor,” stands accused as a principal leader within the notorious Ecuadorian criminal syndicate ‘Los Lobos’ and featured prominently on Interpol’s Red Notice list for international fugitives. Mexican security officials detailed how their surveillance apparatus detected Aguilar immediately upon his entry into Mexico, enabling continuous monitoring until intelligence provided by Colombian counterparts pinpointed his exact location in Mexico City.
The arrest operation proceeded without incident or violence, according to official reports. Mexican authorities subsequently placed Aguilar in the custody of the National Migration Institute to adjudicate his legal status. Investigation revealed he attempted to circumvent immigration controls using falsified documentation identifying him as a Colombian citizen.
This development occurs against the backdrop of significantly strained Mexico-Ecuador relations following Ecuador’s military incursion into the Mexican Embassy in Quito last April. Despite this diplomatic rupture, operational coordination between Mexican, Colombian, and Ecuadorian authorities continued effectively.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro publicly commended the trilateral police cooperation, characterizing the capture as a substantial victory against transnational organized crime networks. Beyond the Villavicencio assassination, Aguilar maintains alleged connections to Mexican cartels and dissident FARC factions operating regionally.
Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office had previously presented evidence in February seeking to formally implicate Aguilar and two accomplices in providing logistical and operational support for the August 9, 2023 assassination, which occurred as Villavicencio departed a political rally in northern Quito.