A Big Drug Boss is Caught in Spain

A major player in Ecuador's drug scene has been caught in Spain. Wilmer "Pipo" Chavarria, the boss of Los Lobos, was grabbed in Malaga. He had been hiding out in Europe, pretending to be someone else after faking his own death. Ecuador's president, Daniel Noboa, shared this news. Chavarria was still running his criminal business from afar, including illegal mining and ordering hits. Los Lobos is a big deal in Ecuador, with around 8, 000 members. Both Ecuador and the US see them as a terrorist group. The gang has been linked to a lot of violence in the country. Ecuador doesn't grow cocaine, but it's right next to big producers like Peru and Colombia. This makes it a hotspot for drug trafficking and gang fights. President Noboa has been tough on gangs since he took office. This big arrest happened just as Ecuador is voting on whether to let foreign military bases back in. The US had a base there until 2009. Now, Noboa wants help from the US and Europe to fight what he calls "narco-terrorists. " The US is already active in the region. They've been hitting drug ships in the Pacific and Caribbean. But there's some debate about whether these strikes are legal. The US hasn't shown proof about who was on those ships.