{"id":5525,"date":"2026-03-18T23:36:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T23:36:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/03\/18\/leader-of-ecuador-based-criminal-group-los-lobos-arrested-in-mexico-city\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T23:36:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T23:36:59","slug":"leader-of-ecuador-based-criminal-group-los-lobos-arrested-in-mexico-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/03\/18\/leader-of-ecuador-based-criminal-group-los-lobos-arrested-in-mexico-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Leader of Ecuador-based criminal group Los Lobos arrested in Mexico City"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><em>Angel Esteban Aguilar is suspected of masterminding the 2023 assassination of an Ecuadorian presidential candidate.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Law enforcement authorities have announced that the leader of the Ecuadorean crime group <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/10\/16\/explosions-hit-ecuador-local-criminal-gang-and-ex-farc-dissidents-blamed\">Los Lobos<\/a> was arrested at the international airport in Mexico City, where he attempted to enter the country under a false identity.<\/p>\n<p>The effort on Wednesday to apprehend Angel Esteban Aguilar, known as \u201cLobo Menor\u201d, was described as a collaborative effort from Colombia, Mexico and Ecuador.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 3 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/3\/11\/ecuador-prepares-for-attack-on-criminal-economy-with-trump-backing\">Ecuador prepares for attack on \u2018criminal economy\u2019 with Trump backing<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/3\/17\/us-confirms-157-killed-in-maritime-strikes-experts-call-extrajudicial\">US confirms 157 killed in maritime strikes experts call \u2018extrajudicial\u2019<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/3\/17\/colombias-petro-accuses-ecuador-of-bombing-near-border\">Colombia\u2019s Petro accuses Ecuador of bombing near border<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>\u201cThis result represents a significant blow against transnational organised crime and confirms the effectiveness of trilateral cooperation,\u201d Colombian President <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/longform\/2026\/2\/2\/trump-and-petro-clash-over-how-best-to-uproot-colombias-cocaine-crops\">Gustavo Petro<\/a> said in a social media <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/petrogustavo\/status\/2034295026738512371\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Petro described Aguilar as \u201cone of the world\u2019s most notorious assassins\u201d and confirmed that he had been extradited to Colombia to face charges.<\/p>\n<p>Ecuadorean Interior Minister John Reimberg also hailed Aguilar\u2019s arrest as a success.<\/p>\n<p>On social media, he explained that Ecuador\u2019s national intelligence branch and its national police participated in the arrest alongside their counterparts in Mexico and Colombia. His <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JohnReimberg\/status\/2034301130985893940\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">message<\/a>\u00a0offered a warning to cartel leaders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo matter where they hide, we will find them, and we will catch them,\u201d Reimberg wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Ecuadorean authorities had sought Aguilar in connection with the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/7\/13\/five-jailed-for-2023-murder-of-ecuador-presidential-candidate\">2023 assassination<\/a> of anticorruption candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who was running for president at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Aguilar has been described as the \u201cmastermind\u201d behind Villavicencio\u2019s fatal shooting, which took place as the candidate left a campaign rally near the Ecuadorian capital Quito.<\/p>\n<p>In Colombia, Aguilar has also faced accusations of collaborating with the alleged drug-trafficker Ivan Mordisco, the leader of the rebel group Estado Mayor Central (EMC). He had been the subject of an ongoing manhunt in the country.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement comes amid pressure from United States President Donald Trump, who has demanded that leaders across Latin America take a more aggressive approach towards crime and drug trafficking.<\/p>\n<p>The US president has threatened military strikes on Colombia and Mexico, accusing their left-wing governments of allowing cartels to operate unimpeded.<\/p>\n<p>Colombia and Mexico, however, have rejected such allegations and have instead highlighted their records of drug seizures and arrests.<\/p>\n<p>Colombian President Gustavo Petro, for instance, has touted <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/11\/22\/colombia-hails-historic-blow-after-largest-cocaine-bust-in-a-decade\">a drug bust<\/a> last November that resulted in the confiscation of $388m worth of cocaine, a historic amount.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, in Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum has taken action against high-profile criminal figures.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, her government launched a military operation against the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/2\/24\/the-killing-of-mexican-drug-lord-el-mencho-how-it-unfolded\">Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes<\/a>, known as \u201cEl Mencho\u201d, resulting in his death.<\/p>\n<p>In announcing Wednesday\u2019s arrest, Mexican Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch accused Aguilar of being \u201clinked to drug trafficking, extortion and homicide activities\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis action reflects our nations\u2019 shared commitment to combating transnational organized crime,\u201d Harfuch said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/OHarfuch\/status\/2034304870761853105\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The collaborative effort contrasts with recent disputes between Petro\u2019s government and Ecuador\u2019s right-wing President Daniel Noboa.<\/p>\n<p>Starting on March 1, Noboa placed heavy tariffs on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/2\/26\/ecuador-hikes-tariffs-on-colombian-imports-to-50-percent-starting-march-1\">Colombian goods<\/a> as penalty for what he said was a lax approach to drug enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this week, Petro accused Ecuador of carrying out strikes around Colombian territory, with 27 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/3\/17\/colombias-petro-accuses-ecuador-of-bombing-near-border\">charred bodies<\/a> found near the countries\u2019 shared border.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration, meanwhile, has publicly weighed launching its own military strikes on Colombia and Mexico, earning rebukes from local politicians who view such threats as a violation of their <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/1\/7\/trumps-attacks-on-venezuela-put-the-us-neighbour-mexico-on-edge\">national sovereignty<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump and Noboa recently agreed to participate in joint military operations in Ecuador.<\/p>\n<p>Critics, however, have warned that their hardline approach to crime may not be effective and could increase the likelihood of security forces committing abuses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Angel Esteban Aguilar is suspected of masterminding the 2023 assassination of an Ecuadorian presidential candidate. Law enforcement authorities have announced that the leader of the Ecuadorean crime group Los Lobos was arrested at the international airport in Mexico City, where he attempted to enter the country under a false identity. The effort on Wednesday to &#8230; <a title=\"Leader of Ecuador-based criminal group Los Lobos arrested in Mexico City\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/03\/18\/leader-of-ecuador-based-criminal-group-los-lobos-arrested-in-mexico-city\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Leader of Ecuador-based criminal group Los Lobos arrested in Mexico City\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}