Assassination in Ecuador

Political upheaval in Latin America may seem distant from U.S. shores, but Wednesday’s assassination of Ecuadoran presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio is a sign of growing world disorder and may be fallout from American demand for drugs.

The killer hasn’t been identified, but political violence has been on the rise in the once-peaceful country. Mr. Villavicencio had been running a fearless campaign against “narco-politics.” He railed against “a criminal economy financed by drug trafficking, illegal mining” and “bribes from corruption in the public sector.” In the last week he received death threats but refused to back down. “I’m not afraid,” he said.

Ecuador is overrun by transnational gangs fighting for control of drug-trafficking routes to the U.S. The country’s weak institutions are no match for the wealthy Mexican and Albanian mafias. When judges, prosecutors and police can’t be bought, murder also works. How security for Villavicencio broke down needs investigating. But Ecuador has become a killing field, as the homicide rate nearly doubled between 2021 and 2022.

Before running for Congress, Villavicencio made his reputation as a journalist digging up evidence of government corruption. Some of his most effective work was international. His book “Ecuador Made in China” exposed crooked deals between Beijing and Quito during the 10-year presidency of Rafael Correa.

Villavicencio had to go into hiding more than once. When Mr. Correa was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison for bribery, Villavicencio was widely credited for bringing the former president to justice. In Congress he continued his battle against government graft.

The U.S. has offered help in trying to solve the crime, and Villavicencio deserves no less. Americans who feed the drug trade with their appetites and cultural signals of approval are also feeding murder and mayhem throughout the Americas.