An Ecuadorian drug trafficker who vanished from public view after faking his death during the COVID-19 pandemic has been captured in Spain, authorities said Sunday, ending years of pursuit for a man considered one of Ecuador’s most dangerous criminal figures.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa confirmed that Wilmer Chavarría, known as “Pipo,” was arrested in the southern Spanish city of Málaga in a joint operation with Spanish police. Spain’s National Police posted an image on X showing Chavarría in a black and green tracksuit as officers escorted him toward a patrol car.
Chavarría is believed to be the leader of Los Lobos, a powerful Ecuadorian drug trafficking organization with an estimated 8,000 members and recently designated a terrorist group by the United States. The gang has been tied to political assassinations in Ecuador and is accused of collaborating with Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
According to Noboa, Chavarría staged his own death in 2021, secured a new identity and settled in Spain, where he continued running Los Lobos operations from abroad. Authorities say he coordinated drug shipments, ordered killings and oversaw extortion schemes targeting gold mines in Ecuador.
Once regarded as one of South America’s safest nations, Ecuador has seen a dramatic surge in homicides and violent crime as drug trafficking groups fight for control of ports and coastal corridors used to move cocaine from Colombia and Peru. Political candidates, local officials and journalists have been attacked amid the escalating turf wars.
Chavarría’s arrest comes as Ecuadorians head to the polls for a four-part referendum that includes a proposal to amend the constitution to allow foreign militaries to establish bases inside the country. Noboa has argued the measure would strengthen cooperation with the United States and bolster efforts to crack down on transnational drug cartels.
