As a result of a coordinated operation involving the Mexican Navy (Semar), the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), and the National Migration Institute (INM), with intelligence support from the National Police of Colombia, a man identifying himself as Colombian national Juan Carlos Montero Mestre was apprehended in the Polanco area of the capital.
The operation 'Jericho' led to the arrest of Ángel Esteban Aguilar Morales, alias 'Lobo Menor,' one of the most wanted criminals in Ecuador with ties to Mexican cartels. He is the alleged mastermind behind the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
'This result constitutes a significant blow to transnational organized crime and ratifies the effectiveness of trilateral cooperation between Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico in the direct fight against multi-crime networks,' the authorities stated.
The operation was carried out 'in strict adherence to human rights' without the use of force and was conducted with the support of Colombian authorities through police and migration cooperation channels.
