One of Ecuador's most dangerous drug lords, who famously faked his own death during the pandemic, has been apprehended in a dramatic international police operation in southern Spain.
The Capture of a Kingpin
Wilmer Chavarria, the alleged leader of the powerful Los Lobos drug trafficking organisation, was arrested on Sunday in the popular holiday city of Malaga. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa confirmed the capture, which resulted from a joint operation between Ecuadorian and Spanish police forces.
Known by his alias "Pipo", Chavarria had orchestrated an elaborate scheme to disappear from authorities. In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he faked his death and obtained a new identity, allowing him to relocate undetected to Spain.
Crime Empire from Abroad
From his Spanish base, Chavarria continued to direct his criminal network's operations across continents. President Noboa revealed that the drug lord coordinated international drug shipments, ordered assassinations, and ran extortion rackets targeting gold mines in Ecuador while living under his assumed identity.
The US authorities recently designated Los Lobos, which boasts approximately 8,000 fighters, as a terrorist organisation. The group has been implicated in political assassinations within Ecuador and maintains close ties with Mexico's notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Ecuador's Security Crisis
Ecuador's transformation from one of South America's most peaceful nations to a hotspot of drug-related violence underscores the challenge. The country has become a key transit point for cocaine produced in neighbouring Colombia and Peru, leading to a dramatic surge in violent crime.
Official statistics reveal the scale of the problem: Between January and September 2025, authorities seized more than 146 tonnes of drugs, though this represents a decrease from the 208 tonnes confiscated during the same period in 2024.
More alarmingly, violent deaths increased by more than 36% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2025. Drug trafficking gangs have targeted presidential candidates, civil officials, and journalists in their brutal struggle for control over ports and coastal cities.
Chavarria's capture coincided with a significant political development in Ecuador. Voters appeared to reject a constitutional change that would have allowed foreign countries to establish military bases in the country. The measure, backed by President Noboa, was defeated by nearly two-thirds of voters in a national referendum.
This isn't the first major drug lord capture recently. In June, another prominent Ecuadorian trafficker, Jose Adolfo Macias (known as "Fito"), was arrested after spending a year on the run.
The shadow of Los Lobos' violence looms large in Ecuador's recent history. Last year, five men, including two alleged Los Lobos members, received combined prison sentences totalling more than 100 years for murdering presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
