The leader of one of Ecuador's largest drug trafficking gangs has been captured in an operation involving Spanish police, Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa announced on Sunday, the BBC reported.
Wilmer "Pipo" Chavarria, the leader of Los Lobos, was arrested in the city of Malaga, according to Spanish police.
Noboa said Chavarria faked his death, changed his identity and hid in Europe while continuing to control criminal operations in Ecuador, including ordering murders.
His family claimed in 2021 that he died of a heart attack due to Covid.
Both Ecuador and the US have declared Los Lobos (The Wolves) a terrorist organization.
In a post on X, Ecuador's interior minister, John Reimberg, who said he was in Spain with police, called Chavarria's capture a "historic day" for his country.
Los Lobos is estimated to have 8,000 members and is one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Ecuador.
In June 2024, the US Treasury sanctioned the gang and described it as a group with "thousands of members" that has significantly contributed to the increase in violence in Ecuador.
Violence and murders have increased sharply in the country in recent years as it has become a major center for cocaine trafficking and rival gangs compete for control. Ecuador does not produce the drug, but it is located near major drug-producing countries such as Peru and Colombia.
Many members of Los Lobos are in prison and the gang is thought to have instigated some of the bloodiest prison riots in Ecuador.
The gang is thought to have links to the powerful Jalisco New Generation cartel in Mexico.