A Drug Kingpin Who Faked His Own Death and Fled Justice Runs Out of Luck

Wilmer Chavarria was living the good life after faking his own death.

For four years, the Ecuadorean drug boss allied with Mexico’s Jalisco cartel moved among Dubai, Morocco and Spain, allegedly overseeing his drug empire and hit jobs back home—all while staying at the most exclusive hotels, Ecuador’s government said. To avoid detection, he underwent seven surgeries to alter his appearance and changed his name to Danilo Fernández.