Leader of notorious Ecuadorian drug gang captured in Spain

The leader of one of Ecuador’s most violent and powerful criminal organisations has been arrested in Spain during a joint operation involving Spanish and Ecuadorian authorities. Ecuador’s president, Daniel Noboa, confirmed the capture of Wilmer “Pipo” Chavarria, the head of the Los Lobos cartel, in the city of Malaga.

According to Spain’s National Police, Chavarria had been hiding in Europe under a new identity after faking his own death. His family claimed in 2021 that he had died of a Covid-related heart attack, but investigators say he continued directing criminal operations in Ecuador from abroad, including illegal mining and contract killings.

Both Ecuador and the United States have designated Los Lobos as a terrorist organisation. Ecuador’s interior minister, John Reimberg, who accompanied police during the operation, described the arrest as a “historic day” for the country. With an estimated 8,000 members, Los Lobos is considered one of the most influential and dangerous gangs in the region.

In June 2024, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on the gang, stating it had “significantly contributed” to the surge in violence in Ecuador. In recent years, the country has seen a dramatic increase in murders and gang warfare, driven by its strategic location between major cocaine-producing nations Peru and Colombia.

The arrest comes as Ecuador holds a referendum on whether to reopen the country to foreign military bases. The US previously operated a base on Ecuador’s Pacific coast until 2009, when then-president Rafael Correa banned foreign troop presence.

President Noboa has defined his administration by an aggressive military strategy against criminal groups. Meanwhile, the US has been expanding military activity in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, deploying forces including the USS Gerald Ford strike group. American troops have reportedly carried out at least 20 strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats, killing more than 80 people. However, no evidence has been made public regarding the identities of those killed, raising legal concerns among experts.

Los Lobos maintains ties with Mexico’s powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel and has been linked to some of Ecuador’s deadliest prison riots.

The capture of Chavarria marks one of the most significant blows against organised crime in Ecuador and a key victory for the Noboa administration’s security agenda.