• Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announces the capture of drug lord Wilmer "Pipo" Chavarria.
• Chavarria, leader of the Los Lobos gang, faked his death in 2021 and fled to Spain.
• The operation was a collaborative effort between Ecuador and Spanish police.
• Los Lobos has been linked to numerous violent crimes and designated a terrorist organization.
• The arrest coincides with a constitutional referendum in Ecuador related to foreign military bases.

Wilmer "Pipo" Chavarria, the leader of the Los Lobos drug trafficking organization, was captured in Spain in a joint operation involving Spanish police, according to Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa. Chavarria had previously faked his death in 2021 due to COVID-19 and assumed a new identity while managing criminal operations from Europe, including illegal mining and orchestrating murders in Ecuador. Noboa remarked, "Today the mafias fall back. Today Ecuador wins," emphasizing the significance of this arrest in combating organized crime.

Chavarria is reputed to be behind numerous violent acts, including over 400 murders, and has maintained ties with Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The U.S. officially designated Los Lobos as a terrorist organization, linking it to various attacks on public officials and law enforcement in Ecuador. The operation leading to Chavarria's arrest took place in Malaga, Spain, showcasing effective international cooperation in fighting transnational crime, as noted by Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg.

In recent years, Ecuador has seen a dramatic increase in violence and crime due to its strategic position as a key transit route for cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru. Chavarria's gang, which reportedly has around 8,000 members, has been implicated in high-profile assassinations, including that of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, contributing to the growing instability in the nation. This arrest coincides with an ongoing referendum asking citizens whether to allow foreign countries to establish military bases in Ecuador, a move President Noboa argues is essential to strengthening anti-drug efforts.