ONE of Latin America’s most-wanted drug kingpins lives freely on Spain’s Costa Dorada after Spanish authorities released him from custody.
William Joffre Alcivar Bautista, known under the aliases Black Willy, Commander Willy, or The Emperor, is the leader of Los Tiguerones, one of Ecuador’s most violent gangs.
Bautista fled to Spain in 2022, with the help of falsified Colombian documentation, where he lived in Catalunya until his arrest in October 2024.
Ecuadorian and Spanish authorities worked in tandem to track down Bautista who was hiding out at a house in Calafell, just down the coast from Barcelona.
He was detained in a Spanish prison and where Bautista claimed he had access to a PlayStation in an interview with El Mundo.
On 29 December, Bautista was released from custody with Spanish authorities declaring that Ecuador did not provide the necessary documentation for his extradition.
Bautista faced two orders of extradition to Ecuador, both of which were approved by Spain’s central court on June 23 2025.
However, the court conditioned his extradition on Ecuador committing to specific safeguards, in line with recommendations from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, to ensure the protection of prisoners’ right to life.
When those guarantees were not provided within the required timeframe, he was released.
The court said that Ecuadorian authorities had been repeatedly reminded they had three months to complete the process.
Ecuadorian Minister of the Interior, John Reimberg, responded to the move by saying: “The legal authority decided to set a terrorist free in Spain. This should raise concerns among citizens living in Spain.”
Ecuador’s foreign ministry maintains it complied with all requirements under the bilateral extradition treaty.
It says that in June 2025 it submitted additional documentation requested by Spain, including necessary safeguards for the transfer of Bautista.
Reimberg said the Ecuadorian government would do ‘everything necessary’ to ensure Alcívar Bautista is re-arrested in Spain and returned to Ecuador.
Comprising of 4,000-5,000 members, Bautista’s gang, Los Tiguerones, plays a key role in the international cocaine trade.
They transport cocaine from the Colombian border to Ecuador’s port cities of Guayaquil, Manta, and Esmeraldas where it is shipped to the US and Europe.
Los Tiguerones is known for its terror tactics, including car bombs, which they use to intimidate the government.
They also hold significant power in Ecuador’s prisons, carrying out acts of violence and intimidation.
In September 2025, 17 people died in a prison in Esmeraldas after Los Tiguerones coordinated an attack against members of rival gangs, Los Lobos and Los Choneros.
The search for Bautista heated up after 13 armed members of the gang stormed the TC Television station in Guayaquil, Ecuador, taking the news crew hostage live on air on January 9 2024.
On that same day, Ecuador’s president, Daniel Noboa, formally declared a state of emergency in the country.
Bautista is thought to have directed the attack from Spain.
Released due to a legal technicality, Bautista now walks free on the Costa Dorada, while his gang continues to terrorise Ecuador.
Click here to read more Crime & Law News from The Olive Press.
