US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday designated Ecuador's Los Tiguerones gang a "terrorist organization" during a visit to Quito, escalating Washington's campaign against criminal groups it says are destabilizing Latin America.
Rubio said the gang was "linked to narcotrafficking" as well as "attacks targeting civilians, law enforcement officers, and journalists".
"We are not talking about an ordinary mafia, nor are we talking about common criminals, we are talking about terrorists who, in many cases, possess weapons and equipment resembling the national armies of certain countries," he said.
The group made international headlines in early 2024 when masked gang members stormed a TV studio during a live broadcast, firing shots and forcing terrified crew to the ground.
Once-peaceful Ecuador has been grappling with a shocking rise in cartel violence that has seen more than 25,000 people murdered in the last three years, according to official figures.
Drug gangs from Albania to Mexico have descended on the Andean nation, vying for control of routes to take drugs from South American coca fields to US, European and Asian markets.
An estimated 70 percent of the cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru passes through Ecuador.
{{/usCountry}}An estimated 70 percent of the cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru passes through Ecuador.
{{/usCountry}}Los Tiguerones have been linked to cocaine trafficking, extortion, contract killings, arms trafficking and money laundering.
It is one of Ecuador's most powerful criminal organizations, competing with Los Choneros and Los Lobos for control of prisons, ports and trafficking routes.
They are blamed for waves of violence, including the killing of rivals, prison riots, as well as kidnapping police and prison guards.
The designation freezes any US assets the group might hold and bars Americans from doing business with it.
Rubio made the announcement during a three-nation Latin America tour designed to shore up conservative allies in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and bolster US influence across the region.
Los Tiguerones is the latest Ecuadoran gang to be designated a terrorist organization by Washington, joining Los Choneros, Los Lobos and Chone Killers.
The Trump administration has designated a number of other Latin American gangs and drug cartels as terrorist organizations, including Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and the Mexican Sinaloa cartel.
arb/md
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.