Roberto Alvarez Vera, identified as a commander of the Colombian-origin group Comandos de la Frontera (Border Command), was detained in the United Arab Emirates, Ecuador’s interior ministry announced on Thursday. Interior Minister John Reimberg confirmed the arrest and said Alvarez is an Ecuadorian national subject to an Interpol red notice. The government is now seeking his extradition.

Tied to Deadly Jungle Ambush

Alvarez is accused of leading the group responsible for a brutal ambush on May 10 that killed 11 Ecuadorian soldiers in the Orellana province. The soldiers were conducting a security operation against illegal mining when they were attacked by fighters using rifles, grenades, and explosives.

Comandos de la Frontera is a splinter faction of the disbanded Colombian FARC, known for drug trafficking and cross-border violence. In the aftermath of the ambush, Ecuador deployed 1,500 troops to the northeastern jungle region.

Ecuador Escalates Fight Against Armed Groups

“We will not rest until everyone pays their dues before the courts,” Reimberg stated following the announcement. The arrest of Alvarez adds to recent wins for President Daniel Noboa’s administration, coming just one day after the recapture of Ecuador’s most-wanted fugitive, gang leader Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as “Fito.”

Fito, the notorious head of Los Choneros, had escaped in early 2024 and was recently discovered hiding in a bunker beneath a luxury home in Manta.