US Designates Ecuador's Los Tiguerones Gang as Terrorist Organization
The US has officially labeled Ecuador's Los Tiguerones gang as a terrorist group, citing its involvement in drug trafficking and violent acts, including a significant armed assault. In response, the US administration is proposing $45 million in security funding to bolster Ecuador's efforts against such criminal organizations.
Sources
The Trump administration is proposing $45 million in security funding for Ecuador during Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Quito, alongside a $10 million initiative to combat illegal gold mining, gang recruitment, and drug trafficking. Rubio designated the Ecuadorian drug trafficking group Los Tiguerones as a “foreign terrorist organization” and noted the close cooperation between the US and Ecuador under President Daniel Noboa, who has taken a hardline approach against crime since taking office following the dissolution of government in 2023. The US has engaged in joint military operations with Ecuador, including six recent interventions against narcotics trafficking vessels, amid rising crime and violence exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The US has designated Ecuador's Los Tiguerones gang as a terrorist organization due to its links to narcotics trafficking and violent attacks, including an armed assault on a television station in 2024, which prompted a state of "internal armed conflict" from Ecuador's president. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced plans to request $45 million in additional funding from Congress to "dismantle these terrorist groups" and highlighted the joint efforts between US and Ecuadorian elite forces to combat drug trafficking. The Trump administration continues to strengthen ties with right-wing leaders in Latin America, emphasizing a military campaign against drug traffickers that has resulted in the deaths of at least 227 people, described by the US as drug traffickers.