Xavier Jordán, implicated in the Fernando Villavicencio assassination case, arrested in Miami
Ecuadorian businessman Xavier Jordán was arrested this Wednesday in the city of Miami, United States, by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The news was confirmed by his legal defense team, marking a new chapter in the investigations linking Jordán to the assassination of former presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, which occurred in 2023.
Juan Carlos Salazar, the businessman’s lawyer in Ecuador, noted that they are still awaiting official information regarding the detention center to which his client was transferred following the intervention of U.S. immigration authorities.
I spoke with his lawyers in the United States, who informed me that it was indeed an arrest by U.S. immigration authorities. We still do not know which detention center he is being taken to or was taken to.
Juan Carlos Salazar, lawyer for Xavier Jordán
Details regarding your immigration and legal status
Despite the repercussions of the arrest, Jordán’s name does not yet appear in the ICE Online Detainee Locator System. According to his defense, the businessman maintained an immigration status they considered legal, as he had applied for political asylum in the United States and had a hearing scheduled for May of next year.
Salazar ruled out that the apprehension is directly linked to the current arrest warrant in Ecuadorian territory, arguing that the Interpol red notice was not active at the time of the arrest in Miami.
Case background
The figure of Xavier Jordán has been under the scrutiny of international justice for some time. In October of last year, the FBI conducted a raid on his residence in Miami as part of a confidential investigation that did not result in an arrest at that time.
Jordán is among the seven individuals charged by the Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office for the crime of Villavicencio, who was assassinated by hitmen as he left a political event in Quito. Ecuadorian authorities maintain that Jordán was one of the main instigators, financiers, and planners of the attack.
- Criminal links: The businessman is also being prosecuted in Ecuador within the Metástasis case, a judicial and police corruption network linked to the late drug trafficker Leandro Norero.
- Other individuals involved: In the same case regarding the assassination of Villavicencio, profiles such as former minister José Serrano, former assembly member Ronny Aleaga, businessman Daniel Salcedo, and leaders of the criminal organization Los Lobos are involved.
- Hospital corruption: In addition to these charges, Jordán’s name has been linked to corruption schemes in the Ecuadorian healthcare system during the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
