IHe thought he was gone for good. Since 2021, a death certificate proving the death of Wilmer Geovanny Chavarria Barré, 39, aka “Pipo”. But his escape finally ended. On Sunday November 16, 2025, Ecuadorian and Spanish police arrested him in Spain, ending a multi-year run, as confirmed by Daniel Noboa, president of Ecuador, to X.
Considered Ecuador’s most wanted criminal, the supreme leader of the Los Lobos gang, the country’s most powerful and violent criminal organization, Pipo led a vast network of drug trafficking, murder and illegal mining from Europe, with repercussions stretching from Mexico to Germany.
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A criminal who faked his death to better disappear
In 2021, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, Pipo’s family announced his death claiming that he died of a heart attack, as revealed Parisian. But this version did not convince investigators, who quickly found evidence that he was still alive. “Pipo” will first flee to Venezuela before reaching Spain in 2022, carrying fake Colombian papers. Once in Europe, he will continue to manage Los Lobos remotely.
A native of Ecuador, Chavarria began his criminal career at the age of 21. He spent seven years in prison between 2011 and 2018, during which he built a powerful network in the criminal underworld. After his release in 2019, he founded Los Lobos, which is now a large group with several thousand members.
Designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States in September 2024, Los Lobos is involved in large-scale drug trafficking, control of illegal gold mines, execution of targeted killings, human trafficking, armed support for the Mexican cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). Ecuadorian authorities also suspect Los Lobos of participating in the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who was assassinated on August 9, 2023 in Quito.
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Kangaroo today
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Since 2018, Ecuador’s homicide rate has increased from 6 to 47 per 100,000 residents, largely due to conflicts between gangs linked to Mexican and Colombian cartels.
For President Noboa, arresting drug traffickers is the “highest value target” since he comes to power in October 2023. He emphasized that international cooperation is now important to combat transnational crime.
