'Pipo,' Top Leader of Ecuadorian Gang Los Lobos and Linked to CJNG, Arrested in Spain

“Sol Prendido”for Borderland Beat 

Wilmer Chavarría became Ecuador's most wanted criminal after the recapture of drug trafficker José Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias 'Fito.'

Wilmer Chavarría, alias Pipo, the top leader of Los Lobos, currently Ecuador's largest and most powerful criminal gang, was arrested this Sunday in Spain. He had become the most wanted criminal in the Andean country following 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 posted on social media, President Daniel Noboa indicated that Pipo was captured in a joint operation between the Ecuadorian and Spanish police forces. Rumors had circulated in recent years that the leader of Los Lobos was directing the criminal organization's operations from Spain.

Pipo's arrest took place on the day of the referendum in Ecuador.

Noboa didn’t specify that the arrest had been made 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 had called. The referendum was to decide, among other things, whether to establish a Constituent Assembly to combat organized crime with a "tougher hand," as well as to create more 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 moving drug routes alongside the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)," Noboa said.

"Some presumed him dead; we searched for him in his own personal hell. That's the difference when there's a will to fight for your country. I recognize and appreciate the joint work of the Ecuadorian and Spanish National Police," he added.

After casting his vote in the coastal town of Olón in the province of Santa Elena, where he has his beach residence, Noboa declared that Pipo's capture was possible "thanks to international cooperation with Spain and the United States."

"We carried out a very effective and well-coordinated operation. International cooperation is the best way to combat these groups," Noboa pointed out, who among his proposals for this referendum also proposes allowing the installation of foreign military bases again.

'Pipo', the criminal who faked his death

For his part, Reimberg, who is currently in Spain, detailed that "Chavarría is responsible for at least 400 deaths."

"This individual—for whom Fito is nothing more than an apprentice—faked his death in 2021 and then obtained a new identity in Venezuela. He later registered and obtained a Colombian passport, which he used to travel to Spain in 2022 to evade the law and relocate his base of operations to Europe," the minister stated.

From Spain, according to the minister, Pipo directed a vast drug trafficking and criminal network in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Mexico, and Colombia, with direct connections to the New Generation Cartel of Ecuador and alliances with Mexican, Colombian, and European cartels.

Reimberg also told TC Televisión that Pipo usually resided in Dubai and frequently traveled to Spain, staying in the most luxurious hotels with money obtained from drug trafficking and illegal mining. He had undergone up to seven cosmetic surgeries to alter his appearance and avoid being recognized.

Drug Trafficking and Illegal Mining

Los Lobos had become the most powerful criminal organization in Ecuador, playing a leading role in the war between criminal groups that has plagued the country since late 2020, causing the unprecedented wave of violence sweeping the nation.

The gang, led by 'Pipo,' sought to break away from Los Choneros and was the most successful, ultimately displacing them by forging an alliance with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) to ship cocaine to Mexico, primarily from Colombia. This contrasts with their rivals, who are allied with the Sinaloa Cartel.

Los Lobos expanded their reach and diversified their activities by also heavily involved in illegal mining and, according to authorities, forming alliances with dissident groups from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to exploit illegal mining sites in border areas of the Amazon.

Sources: Milenio, Círculo de Periodistas Judiciales, Informatech, Borderland Beat Archives, Borderland Beat Archives