Fernando Villavicencio

José Adolfo Macías Villamar, the leader of the Los Choneros gang, released a video from inside the Guayaquil penitentiary where he is serving a 34-year sentence

Poverty, exclusion and violence: this is the story behind Johan David Castillo and the other assassins who were hired to kill Fernando Villavicencio

Rising violence in Ecuador and the lack of a police presence in many areas of the capital has led residents to form vigilante groups to tackle criminals

The candidate for the Citizen Revolution Movement won 33% of the vote in the first round, while the businessman came in second place with 24%

The presidential election campaign has been marked by violence and the assassination of one of the candidates amid a wave of organized crime-related terror

A wave of violence in the run-up to Sunday’s ballot led candidates to end their campaigns screened by police escorts following the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio

Violent deaths quadrupled from 2019 in the lead-up to the assassination of a presidential candidate, locals are afraid to leave their homes and school classes have been suspended

More than 3,600 officers took part in the operation to transfer the inmate, who is the leader of the criminal gang Los Choneros, which has links with Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel

The assassination of candidate Fernando Villavicencio has deepened the security crisis and shaken up the political landscape just days before the first round on August 20

The assassination of the Ecuadorian presidential candidate has revealed the scope of the criminal network gripping the country, where Mexican cartels and Colombian hitmen have gained a foothold

The Ecuadorian police have arrested six Colombians suspected of participating in the attack against the presidential candidate, during which the gunman was shot dead

More cocaine moves through Ecuador than any other country in the world, meaning cartels like Sinaloa and the CJNG need local criminal organizations to handle transport and logistics

The presidential candidate was assassinated while traveling in a state-provided vehicle that lacked armor despite the multiple threats he had received from organized crime

The killer fired at least 40 shots, injuring other people who accompanied the politician

As Mexican criminal groups battle over control of the territory, the country has been plunged into a deep security crisis