The Ecuadorian authorities, in cooperation with the Spanish authorities, arrested the leader of the Los Lobos gang. Wilmer Geovanny Chavarria Barre faked his death and escaped to Europe.
Ecuadorian authorities have arrested the leader of one of the largest drug gangs, Los Lobos. Wilmer Geovanny Chavarria Barre, known as “Pipo”, was arrested in Malaga, Spain in cooperation with the local police. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa informed about it on Sunday afternoon. TASR took the information from the Reuters agency.
According to the president, Pipo managed illegal mines and controlled drug routes. His group operated within the Mexican cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación. He had previously escaped from Ecuador, faking his death, changing his identity and hiding in Europe, from where he ordered the murders of his rivals in Ecuador.
Responsible for hundreds of murders
Ecuadorian Interior Minister John Reimberg said in a post on social media that Chavarria was responsible for at least 400 murders and between 2011 and 2019 ran criminal operations from prison.
Since taking office, President Noboa has pursued a strategy of militarization to curb gang violence in a country once considered one of the safest in Latin America. Analysts say the arrests of gang leaders have fueled more violence and killings as criminal groups now fight for power.
Referendum on military bases
At the same time, Ecuadorians will vote on Sunday on whether to allow the presence of foreign military bases in the country again. The president says they are key in the fight against organized crime.
