Ecuadorian and Spanish authorities managed to arrest “Pipo” Chavarría, leader of a criminal group linked to the CJNG. Daniel Noboa, President of Ecuador, described drug traffickers as “the most wanted criminal in the region.”
Mexico City, November 16 (However).- In a joint operation against the ctransnational organized rhymeEcuadorian and Spanish authorities captured today Wilmer Chavarría Barré, alias “Pipo”top leader of the Ecuadorian cartel “The Wolves”a group strongly linked to Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) of Mexico.
He President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboapersonally announced the news through his account on the social network Chavarria as a priority objective for the authorities of the South American country.
“Today we captured ‘Pipo’ Chavarría, the most wanted criminal in the region and top leader of ‘Los Lobos’,” wrote Noboa, who highlighted the coordinated work between the National Police of Ecuador and their Spanish counterparts.
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…
— Daniel Noboa Azin (@DanielNoboaOk) November 16, 2025
The capture materialized after months of shared intelligence, which revealed that “El Pipo” was hiding in Europe under a false identity. According to official sources, the drug trafficker had faked his own death in Ecuador to evade justice, while continuing to direct criminal operations from abroad.
Among his activities, he is accused of coordinating drug trafficking routes to Mexico and the United States, in direct collaboration with the CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel, as well as supervising illegal mining networks and contract killings in Ecuadorian territory.
“Los Lobos”, a criminal group founded in the prisons of Ecuador, has emerged as the largest criminal organization in the Andean country, according to a report from the United States Department of the Treasury, which in 2024 imposed financial sanctions against Chavarría and his group. These sanctions underscored how the cartel, with thousands of members, has injected violence and instability into Ecuador through its ties to major Mexican cartels.
detained in #Málaga the fugitive from justice #Ecuador known as #Stocking cap band leader #Lobos to which several attacks are attributed #Guayaquil
The fugitive had faked his death to avoid arrest
An operation of @policia con @PoliciaEcuador pic.twitter.com/r9t6QrJxyP
— National Police (@policia) November 16, 2025
In fact, “Los Lobos” has been identified as responsible for planning the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in August 2023, an attack that shook Ecuadorian politics and exacerbated the security crisis in the country.
“El Pipo’s” criminal career is extensive: since 2004 he has accumulated charges for drug trafficking, robbery, hitmen, illicit association, terrorist attacks and participation in prison massacres. At 40 years old, Chavarría Barré was considered a high-value target, with a million-dollar reward on his head.
His arrest in Malaga, a tourist enclave on the Costa del Sol known to be a refuge for fugitives, was achieved thanks to a surprise raid on a discreet apartment, where false documents and electronic devices that could reveal more about the cartel’s operational network were seized.
#ATTENTION ||
We captured alias “#Stocking cap“, the highest value target for the country, leader of the criminal group “Los Lobos” and one of the most wanted criminals in the region. He was arrested in Malaga, Spain, thanks to a joint effort between #PoliceEcuador y #PoliceSpain.… pic.twitter.com/BNewSLhdhq
—GraS. Pablo Vinicio Dávila Maldonado (@CmdtPoliciaEc) November 16, 2025