The Assassination of an Anti-Corruption Crusader and Presidential Candidate in Ecuador

Threats came from the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel and imprisoned Ecuadorian kingpin Jose "Fito" Macias.

Last week, Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was gunned down at a political rally in Guayaquil. Villavicencio, a former journalist turned politician, had spent years fearlessly investigating and exposing organized crime and corruption in Ecuador.

As a journalist, Villavicencio uncovered major scandals involving inflated infrastruct…