One of Ecuador’s most notorious drug traffickers, Wilmer Chavarria, also known as “Pipo,” was captured Sunday in Malaga, Spain, years after faking his own death, officials said.
According to The Associated Press, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced the arrest, which took place during a joint operation with Spanish police. Spain’s National Police posted a photo of Chavarria wearing a black and green tracksuit being escorted toward a patrol car.
Chavarria is believed to lead Los Lobos, a drug trafficking organization with roughly 8,000 members that the United States recently designated as a terrorist group. The cartel has been linked to political assassinations in Ecuador and reportedly works closely with Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
President Noboa said Chavarria faked his death in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, obtained a new identity, and relocated to Spain. From there, he allegedly continued coordinating drug shipments, ordering killings, and running extortion schemes targeting Ecuadorian gold mines.
“Chavarria faked his death, moved to Spain, and continued criminal operations from abroad,” Noboa said in a statement, highlighting the international scope of the investigation.
Ecuador, once one of South America’s most peaceful nations in the early 2010s, has seen a sharp rise in homicides and violent crime as drug trafficking networks compete for control over key ports and coastal cities. Presidential candidates, municipal officials, and journalists have been targeted in attacks linked to these gangs.
The arrest comes as Ecuadorians vote in a four-part referendum, which includes a measure that would allow foreign countries to establish military bases in the country.
Noboa has argued that the constitutional amendment is crucial for strengthening international cooperation against drug traffickers and increasing pressure on criminal networks. “This reform is necessary to further anti-drug cooperation with countries like the United States,” he said.
Chavarria’s capture is seen as a major victory in Ecuador’s ongoing fight against organized crime and drug trafficking, signaling that authorities are capable of tracking high-profile fugitives even overseas.
