The United States today designated Ecuador’s Los Tiguerones criminal gang as a “foreign terrorist organization” as part of its fight against drug trafficking in Latin America.
“We’re not talking about a typical mafia; we’re not talking about criminals; we’re talking about terrorists,” said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a visit to Ecuador, a close ally of Washington.
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This country, once one of the safest in Latin America, is facing a rapid rise in crime linked to drug trafficking.
With its ports on the Pacific and its geographical location between Colombia and Peru—the world’s largest cocaine producers —Ecuador has, within a few years, become the point of departure for 70% of the world’s cocaine, which is destined primarily for the United States and Europe.
Marco Rubio, on an official visit to Quito following his trip to Colombia and prior to his visit to Peru, spoke of criminal groups that possess “weapons and equipment similar to those of the armies of certain countries.”
The Tiguerones gang dominated the headlines in early 2024, when masked men stormed a television studio during a live broadcast, opening fire and forcing the terrified staff to lie on the ground.
This criminal organization is involved in drug and arms trafficking, as well as illegal mining, money laundering, extortion, and murders, according to the Ecuadorian Observatory on Organized Crime.
It is one of the main drivers of the war between criminal groups in Ecuador, which has become the most violent country in the region, with a homicide rate of 51 per 100,000 residents in 2025—that is, roughly one every hour.
Right-wing President Daniel Noboa, one of Donald Trump’s most important allies in the region, has been waging a battle against organized crime since 2024 with U.S. military support.
Following Donald Trump’s return to the White House in 2025, the U.S. State Department has designated various Latin American criminal groups as “terrorist organizations,” including Los Choneros, Los Lobos, and the Chone Killers in Ecuador; the Tren de Aragua in Venezuela; and the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.
Source: APE–MPE
