Overview
- Spanish National Police detained Wilmer ‘Pipo’ Chavarría on arrival from Morocco under a false identity at Málaga airport in Operation Renacer coordinated with Ecuador.
- Police say they await an Interpol red notice to advance extradition to Ecuador, after booking him in Spain on falsified-document charges.
- Officials say Chavarría faked his death in 2021, operated from Europe using forged Venezuelan and Colombian papers, and led Los Lobos with ties to Mexico’s CJNG.
- Investigators attribute financing of attacks in Guayaquil and claim he is linked to roughly 400 killings, with Spanish authorities reporting seizures of false documents.
- The government highlighted the capture during a national referendum on tougher security measures, while the consequences for Los Lobos’ operations remain uncertain.