Ecuador expects 'Pipo' extradition from Spain in coming weeks

Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg expressed confidence that the extradition of Wilmer Chavarría, alias 'Pipo' and the alleged leader of the Los Lobos criminal group, from Spain will be finalized in the coming weeks. The Spanish National Court recently approved his extradition to Ecuador, a decision Reimberg stated signifies Ecuador's successful completion of necessary legal steps.

While formal notification is still pending, Reimberg indicated that Chavarría would be transferred to the 'La Roca' prison, a high-security facility established under President Daniel Noboa's initiative to house prominent criminals. This development follows the Spanish court's decision to deny a U.S. request for Chavarría's extradition on drug trafficking charges, opting instead to send him back to Ecuador to complete a 16-year sentence for three murders committed in 2010.

Chavarría, who was apprehended in Málaga, Spain, in November after reportedly faking his death in Ecuador and entering Spain with a false identity in 2022, is also implicated in Ecuador in the investigation into the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023. He allegedly underwent multiple facial surgeries to evade recognition. The minister also noted that Chavarría shares legal representation with another Ecuadorian criminal leader, William Alcívar Bautista, whose extradition to Ecuador was previously denied by Spain.