Five individuals linked to one of Ecuador’s largest criminal gangs have been jailed for the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio last year.
Mr. Villavicencio, a national assembly member and former journalist, was shot dead as he left a campaign rally in Quito last August.
Carlos Angulo, the alleged leader of the Los Lobos gang, and Laura Castilla received sentences of 34 years and eight months for orchestrating the murder.
Two men and a woman were given 12-year sentences by the Quito court for assisting in the attack.
Prosecutors claimed that Angulo, known as The Invisible, ordered the hit from the Quito prison where he is detained. He denied the charges, asserting he was being made a “scapegoat.”
Castilla was responsible for logistics, allegedly providing weapons, money, and motorcycles to the hit squad.
The others—Erick Ramirez, Victor Flores, and Alexandra Chimbo—were accused of helping track Mr. Villavicencio’s movements.
More than 70 people testified during the trial, including a key witness who claimed the gang had been offered over $200,000 (£154,000) to kill Mr. Villavicencio.
Mr. Villavicencio, a crusading anti-corruption activist, was one of the few candidates to allege connections between organized crime and government officials in Ecuador.
In the weeks leading up to the election, he received death threats and was given a security detail. Despite this, he continued to campaign and was fatally shot by a group of assailants on August 9 outside a school in northern Quito.
Prosecutors said during the trial that one of the men involved in the assassination was shot dead in a confrontation with police at the scene.
Six other men, all Colombian nationals, were later arrested in connection with the killing but were subsequently found murdered at El Litoral prison, where they were being held in pre-trial detention.
Prosecutors have stated that a separate investigation into who contracted Los Lobos to carry out the hit is ongoing.
Mr. Villavicencio’s widow, Veronica Sarauz, welcomed the ruling but noted it only marks the beginning of a long journey to uncover the full story behind her husband’s death.
Ecuador has historically been a relatively safe and stable country in Latin America, but crime has surged in recent years due to the growing presence of Colombian and Mexican drug cartels infiltrating local criminal gangs.
The Los Lobos gang, led by Angulo, is said to have deep connections to the powerful Jalisco New Generation cartel in Mexico.