Authorities in Mexico said on Wednesday that they arrested a leader of Ecuador's Los Lobos crime group at Mexico City's international airport, in an operation regional officials described as a major blow to criminal networks that operate across Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador.
Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg identified the detainee as Angel Esteban Aguilar, who is wanted in connection with the 2023 assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. Villavicencio had been a prominent critic of corruption and organized crime.
Mexican Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch said in a post on X that the suspect, known by the alias "Lobo Menor," was the subject of an Interpol red notice and is linked to drug trafficking, extortion and homicide. Mexican authorities reported that they tracked Aguilar in real time when he arrived in the country and discovered he attempted to travel under a forged Colombian identity using the name Juan Carlos Montero. Ecuador's interior minister said Aguilar had been planning to flee to Mexico.
Trilateral cooperation
Colombian President Gustavo Petro characterized the arrest as the result of an extended manhunt in Colombia and emphasized that the capture reflected coordinated efforts among Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador. "This result represents a significant blow against transnational organized crime and confirms the effectiveness of trilateral cooperation between Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico in the fight against multi-crime networks," Petro said, adding that the arrest was carried out to facilitate extradition.
Mexican officials said they were in contact with the Colombian government to address legal and immigration procedures related to the case.
Petro further described the detained man as among Ecuador's most wanted criminals, asserting links between Aguilar and Mexican cartels as well as with the leader of the largest dissident faction of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), known by the alias Ivan Mordisco.
Context and regional implications
The arrest comes amid broader regional tensions over drug trafficking. The report notes that Ecuador recently imposed heavy tariffs on Colombian goods, accusing Colombia of failing to sufficiently curb drug flows across their shared border. The case also exists alongside international security conversations: Washington designated Los Lobos a foreign terrorist organization in September last year, and earlier this month U.S. President Donald Trump convened a gathering of right-leaning Latin American leaders in Florida at the "Shield of the Americas" summit, where attendees agreed to prioritize military approaches against organized crime. The leaders of Mexico and Colombia did not attend that summit.
Mexican authorities' prompt identification and detention of Aguilar at the airport, their use of real-time tracking on his arrival, and the coordination among three national governments underline how law enforcement agencies in the region have collaborated in this instance. Officials indicated the arrest was intended to enable extradition procedures, with further legal steps to follow in consultation with partners in Colombia and Ecuador.