Overview
- Spanish and Ecuadorian authorities detained Chavarría Barré, known as “Pipo,” in Spain following a coordinated investigation announced by Ecuador’s interior minister.
- Officials say he staged his death in 2021, assumed a new identity in Venezuela, obtained a Colombian passport, and entered Spain in 2022 to continue operations.
- Authorities allege he maintained ties to Colombian and Mexican cartels and oversaw a trafficking network with European connections.
- The United States designated Los Lobos a foreign terrorist organization in September 2025, and the group is described as a major cocaine smuggler to the United States and Europe.
- President Daniel Noboa hailed the multinational action as a success as Ecuador confronts a security crisis with murders up 47% in the first half of 2025, according to an observatory.