WASHINGTON.- The United States Department of the Treasury announced sanctions on Thursday against the Ecuadorian drug trafficking organization Los Lobos, identified as the largest drug trafficking network in Ecuador, accused of contributing significantly to the wave of violence plaguing that country.
The sanctions were also extended to Wilmer Chavarría Barre, alias “Pipo”, leader of Los Lobos, who is a fugitive. The organization and its leader are linked to the Mexican Jalisco Nueva Generación and Sinaloa cartels, according to the Treasury Department statement.
As part of the sanctions, all properties and interests of the criminal group in the United States are blocked and must be reported to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Additionally, all transactions by Americans, within or transiting the United States, involving any property or interest of those sanctioned are prohibited.
Los Lobos are accused of orchestrating the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in late 2023. The US State Department has offered a reward of up to $5 million for information on those responsible.
OFAC stated that Los Lobos engage in activities that pose a significant risk of contributing to the international proliferation of illicit drugs. This sanction is in addition to another issued on February 7 against Los Choneros, another important drug trafficking group in Ecuador.
“Drug trafficking groups linked to powerful drug cartels threaten the lives and livelihoods of communities in Ecuador and throughout South and Central America,” said Brian E. Nelson, Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. in the document.
Faced with the violence, President Daniel Noboa decreed on January 9 the state of internal armed conflict, allowing joint action by the police and the Armed Forces to control security in the streets and prisons, which according to the police, are centers of organized crime boss
This decision was made after the escape of Adolfo Macías, alias “Fito”, leader of Los Choneros, from a prison in Guayaquil, and the live takeover of the state channel TC Televisión by an armed group. Macias
Since 2021, Ecuador has experienced a record increase in murders, with a violent death rate of 40 per 100,000 inhabitants at the end of 2023, one of the highest on the continent, attributed to criminal gangs related to drug trafficking.
Source: With information from AFP
