US EditionEcuador captures drug gang kingpin 'Pipo' Chavarria who had fled to Europe
Wilmer Chavarria, leader of Los Lobos with 8,000 members, was arrested after faking his death and running criminal operations from Europe, linked to over 400 deaths, officials said.
- On Sunday, President Daniel Noboa announced Ecuador arrested the leader of Los Lobos in an operation with Spanish police, saying, `Some gave him up for dead; we searched for him in his very own hell` in Malaga.
- Authorities say Chavarria faked his death, changed identity, and hid in Europe while controlling illegal mining and drug routes with Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
- Interior Minister John Reimberg said Chavarria was responsible for at least 400 deaths and managed criminal operations from prison between 2011 and 2019, while the U.S. designated his gang a foreign terrorist organization in September.
- Analysts warn the capture of ringleaders has sparked more violence as Ecuadoreans vote on Sunday about foreign military bases, which President Daniel Noboa says are key to fighting organised crime.
- A photo dated October 16, 2024 shows Ecuadorian security forces using a battering ram in Guayaquil, Ecuador, as President Daniel Noboa pursues a militarisation strategy against gang violence.
167 Articles
167 Articles
Alleged Leader of Top Ecuadorian Cartel Arrested in Spain After Years on the Run
Ecuadorian officials said Wilmer Geovanny Chavarría Barré had previously faked his death and assumed a new identity to hide in Europe while continuing to direct his criminal network from abroad.
Ecuadorean Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo announced that the top leader of the band Los Lobos will be extradited from Spain.
Spain captures notorious Ecuador drug cartel boss
Spanish police captured the leader of one of Ecuador’s biggest drug trafficking cartels, a major coup in a global crackdown on narcotics.Wilmer “Pipo” Chavarria headed Los Lobos, a group with ties to some of the world’s biggest transnational drug cartels, responsible for trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine to the US and Europe. Around 70% of the world’s cocaine now passes through Ecuador’s ports, with the fight for control of trafficking rou…
Ecuadorian gang leader who faked death years ago arrested in Spain
One of Ecuador’s most sought-after crime figures was taken into custody in Spain on Sunday, ending years on the run after he staged his own death during the pandemic. President Daniel Noboa confirmed that Wilmer Chavarria — known by the alias “Pipo” — was detained in Malaga in a coordinated operation with Spanish authorities. Spain’s National Police released an image showing Chavarria in a black-and-green tracksuit as officers led him to a patro…
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