In the Ministry of Labour he held the position of Superintendent of Civil Service and then Deputy Minister of Work, Employment, and Social Security.
[citation needed] On 14 March 2016, he assumed the position of Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, replacing Marcelo Elío Chávez.
[2] On 25 August 2016, Illanes was kidnapped along with his assistant while heading to Panduro to speak to anti-government protesters and then was later killed by the striking miners who abducted him.
Defence Minister Reymi Ferreira broke down on television as he described how Illanes, appointed to his post in March, had apparently been "beaten and tortured to death".
[4] Government minister Carlos Romero called it a "cowardly and brutal killing" and asked the miners to immediately hand over the body.