Wilmer Chavarría, alias Pipo, the top leader of Los Lobos, currently the largest and most powerful criminal gang in Ecuador, was arrested this Sunday in Spain. He had become the most wanted criminal in the Andean country after the recapture of drug trafficker José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias Fito, the main leader of Los Choneros, according to an announcement by the Ecuadorian government.
In a message on social media, President Daniel Noboa indicated that Pipo was captured in a joint operation between the Ecuadorian and Spanish police forces. In recent years, it had been rumored that the Los Lobos kingpin directed the criminal organization’s operations from Spain.
Noboa did not specify that the arrest had taken place in Spain, a fact later confirmed by Interior Minister John Reimberg.
The Ecuadorian president announced the capture at the same time as the opening of the electoral process in Ecuador for the referendum he called to decide, among other issues, whether to establish a Constituent Assembly to combat organized crime with a “tougher hand,” as well as greater flexibility for investment and job creation.
“Today we captured Pipo Chavarría, the most wanted criminal in the region and top leader of Los Lobos. The criminal who faked his death, changed his identity, and hid in Europe while ordering murders in Ecuador, controlling illegal mining operations, and running drug trafficking routes alongside the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG),” Noboa stated.
