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One of Ecuador's astir wanted cause traffickers was captured Sunday, years aft helium faked his decease and moved to Spain.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said that Wilmer Chavarria, besides known arsenic "Pipo," was captured successful the Spanish metropolis of Malaga successful a associated cognition with Spanish police. In a message connected X, Spain's National Police posted a photograph of Chavarria wearing a achromatic and greenish way suit arsenic helium was escorted by constabulary officers toward a patrol car.
Chavarria is believed to beryllium the person of Los Lobos, a cause trafficking radical with astir 8,000 fighters that was precocious designated a violent organization by the United States. Los Lobos has been linked to governmental assassinations successful Ecuador and has besides been accused of moving intimately with Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Noboa said Chavarria faked his decease successful 2021 during the COVID pandemic, obtained a caller individuality and moved to Spain, from wherever helium coordinated cause shipments, ordered assassinations and ran extortion rackets against golden mines successful Ecuador.
Ecuador was 1 of the astir peaceful countries successful South America successful the aboriginal 2010s. But the federation of 18 cardinal radical has experienced a spike successful homicides and different convulsive crimes, arsenic it becomes a cardinal transit constituent for cocaine produced successful neighboring Colombia and Peru. Drug trafficking gangs person attacked statesmanlike candidates, municipal officials and journalists arsenic they combat for power implicit ports and coastal cities.
Chavarria's seizure comes arsenic Ecuadorians ballot connected a four-part referendum, wherever they volition beryllium asked if the nation's constitution should beryllium amended to let overseas countries to tally subject bases successful Ecuador.
Noboa has argued that this betterment is indispensable to further anti-drug practice with countries similar the United States and summation unit connected cause traffickers.
The U.S. past year declared Los Lobos to beryllium the largest cause trafficking enactment successful Ecuador and imposed sanctions of "Pipo."
Earlier this year, different person of Los Lobos, Carlos D, was arrested Friday astatine his location successful the coastal metropolis of Portoviejo. Widely known by his alias "El Chino," helium was the second-in-command of the transgression syndicate and "considered a high-value target."
Criminal gang violence continues unabated pursuing the recapture successful June of the country's biggest cause lord, Adolfo Macías, who leads the Los Choneros gang, aft his flight from a maximum-security situation successful 2024. In July, the Ecuadoran government extradited Macias to the United States, wherever helium faces aggregate cause trafficking and firearms charges.
U.S. officials accidental Los Lobos emerged arsenic a subdivision of hitmen moving wrong Los Choneros, which roseate to powerfulness independently successful 2020 erstwhile a erstwhile Los Choneros leader's assassination near cracks successful the gang's bid structure. Los Lobos is accused successful the assassination of Ecuador's 2023 statesmanlike campaigner Fernando Villavicencio, and pack members are said to beryllium liable for deadly situation riots successful summation to cause trafficking, murder-for-hire and amerciable golden mining operations.
Most wanted Ecuadorian cause lord captured
Most wanted Ecuadorian cause lord captured 1 twelvemonth aft escape
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