“Socalj” for Borderland Beat
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Witnesses said Mr Villavicencio, 59, was shot three times. The suspect was also shot in an exchange of gunfire with security and later died from his injuries, the country’s Attorney General said on social media. Current President Guillermo Lasso vowed the “crime will not go unpunished.”
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| The suspected killer died following a shootout with security. |
Recent Threats
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“This confirms that indeed our campaign proposal seriously affects these criminals and here I am showing my face, I am not afraid of them. For 20 years I have gambled in this country against these criminal structures and I reiterate I am not afraid of them and I ratify my proposal to create a special prison with extremely high security. It will be one of the first works that I will promote as soon as I assume command to transfer “Fito” and other drug lords, hitmen, and other criminals to this maximum security prison,” Villavicencio pointed out.
Villavicencio, a former investigative journalist published a video on his Twitter account last year. It was a message by since assassinated drug trafficker Leandro Norero about his good relations with Los Choneros and its leaders. Villavicencio noted that: “Leandro Norero, former leader of Jalisco Nueva Generación, confirms the good relations and dialogues with Fito and JR, leaders of Los Choneros (Sinaloa). Who was interested in silencing the person who did business with Xavier Jordán and politicians?
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According to Villavicencio, when referring to current socialism in Latin America, it is common to find relationships with illegal activities. He added that this scenario does not exclude Ecuador or the citizen revolution.
He added that what connects Ecuador in this issue is the presence of Raisa Bulgarin, a candidate for the National Assembly for the Citizen Revolution. He mentioned that photos shared in Colombia show Bulgarin together with Nicolás Petro, David Vázquez, and Camilo Burgos. In addition, messages exchanged indicate that part of the funds was transferred from Barranquilla to Bogotá, with the participation of Camilo and Raisa.
He commented that an additional piece in this complicated puzzle is Vinicio Alvarado Espinel, linked to the electoral campaign of Gustavo Petro and also with campaigns in Ecuador, specifically with Luisa González and Andrés Araúz. Villavicencio concluded his message by calling on the Ecuadorian State Attorney General’s Office to work together with Colombia and clarify these allegations, insisting on the need for transparency in the process.
Current President Lasso, who will not be on the ballot, said he was “outraged and shocked” by the killing, adding: “Organized crime has come a long way, but the full weight of the law is going to fall on them.” A recent rise in violent crime, fuelled by the growing presence of drug cartels in Ecuador, has been a central issue in this year’s presidential campaign.
Last month, Lasso declared states of emergency and night curfews in three provinces following a number of killings linked to organized crime. As well as security, Villavicencio’s campaign had focused on tackling corruption, a topic he had covered in an earlier career as a journalist, and reducing environmental destruction.
Villavicencio was one of 8 candidates in the first round of the election, although not the frontrunner. The first round of the presidential election is scheduled to take place on 20 August. His killing follows that of Agustín Intriago, mayor of the city of Manta, in July and Omar Menéndez, candidate for mayor in the city of Puerto López, in February.
Who is “Fito”?
José Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as “Fito,” is the current leader, following the killing of the long-time leader in 2020. “Fito” is also one of the founders of the Los Choneros gang. He has been imprisoned in the Guayaquil Regional Jail. On February 23, 2021, the first prison massacre took place in Ecuador, with 79 deaths. The day before they had tried to kill “Fito.” following the split of two Choneros cells, Los Tiguerones and Los Lobos. Last year, authorities got word that “Fito’s” girlfriend had been living in his cell for a week. She attempted to escape wearing a guard’s uniform after authorities were met with gunfire from the inmates. His family has also seen violence with his daughter being kidnapped and his son attacked in the last few years.
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| “Junior” killed in Colombia in 2023. |
The gang leader had fled to Colombia after surviving an assassination attempt in his native Ecuador, where he had been released from prison in February. Roldan was considered a fugitive after removing the electronic ankle bracelet he was fitted with upon release. He also survived another attack in which drones laden with explosives were set off above the prison wing in which he was locked up at the time.
Despite previous attempts on his life, his murder is not believed to be part of a gang war, according to Ecuador’s commander of police, Gen. Fausto Salinas, who did not provide further information on the circumstances of the killing.
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Los Choneros
Los Choneros gang, named after its power base in Chone, primarily engages in drug trafficking and extortion and had become one of Ecuador’s most powerful prison gangs after many of its members were incarcerated, controlling various aspects of prison life and directing criminal operations from behind bars.
Los Choneros first emerged in the late 1990s as a drug trafficking organization. Authorities originally tied the group to a Colombian drug cartel, with control over Pacific trafficking routes to Mexico and the US. The arrests of several gang leaders in 2011 increased their powers within the prison system.