U.S. designates "Chone Killers" gang a terrorist organization

The United States connected Wednesday designated Ecuadorian pack the "Chone Killers" arsenic a overseas violent organization, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

The pack "has committed galore attacks targeting civilians, instrumentality enforcement officers, and authorities officials, including high-profile assassinations of nationalist officials," Rubio said successful a statement, adding that the radical was besides branded "specially designated planetary terrorists."

As a result, the Chone Killers  leaders and anyone associated with them tin beryllium taxable to U.S. sanctions and transgression prosecution.

Ecuador's overseas ministry welcomed the designation.

"The Government of Ecuador acknowledgment the steadfast enactment of the United States for the determination by President Daniel Noboa to support an all-out combat against transgression organizations," the ministry said successful a statement posted connected X.

The Chone Killers are an offshoot of Los Chineros, a pack the United States antecedently designated arsenic a overseas violent enactment successful 2020.

The designation freezes immoderate assets the radical oregon its members whitethorn person successful U.S. jurisdictions.

"The Trump administration, successful concern with Ecuador and President Daniel Noboa, volition proceed to support our hemisphere by keeping illicit drugs disconnected our streets and disrupting the gross streams backing convulsive narcoterrorists," helium added.

Ecuador has gone from 1 of South America's safest countries to a large cocaine trafficking hub, plagued by gangs with ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels. Just past month, eight bodies were recovered successful integrative bags successful a narco-trafficking hotspot.

Los Lobos (The Wolves) and Los Choneros (after the metropolis of Chone) are among Ecuador's main cause trafficking and extortion gangs, with ties to planetary cartels. In September, Los Lobos was designated a violent organization by the United States.

Criminal gang violence continues unabated successful Ecuador pursuing the recapture successful June 2025 of the country's biggest cause lord, Adolfo Macías, who leads Los Choneros, aft his flight from a maximum-security situation successful 2024. In July 2025, the Ecuadoran government extradited Macías to the United States, wherever helium faces aggregate cause trafficking and firearms charges.

Noboa, a staunch state of President Trump, has imposed curfews and deployed the subject to respective provinces successful a U.S.-backed crackdown aimed astatine stamping retired pack activity.

American commandos recently joined Ecuadorian troops successful a associated ngo aimed astatine dismantling a suspected transgression hub operated by an alleged narco-terrorist enactment on the country's coast.

In aboriginal March, the United States and Ecuador launched joint subject operations against "designated violent organizations" successful the country.

The Trump medication has designated a fig of different Latin American gangs and cause cartels arsenic violent organizations, including the Mexican Sinaloa cartel and Venezuela's Tren de Aragua.

Last month, Mr. Trump said the U.S. subject killed Tren de Aragua's alleged leader. The president said on Truth Social that U.S. Southern Command carried retired a "swift and lethal kinetic strike" to "successfully execute" Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known arsenic Niño Guerrero.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

In:

• Ecuador