US designates Ecuador's Chone Killers gang a foreign terrorist group

WASHINGTON, July 1 - The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday it had designated the Ecuadorean gang Chone Killers as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, imposing sanctions on a group Washington accused of carrying out attacks on civilians and public officials.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the gang had also been designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

"Chone Killers has committed numerous attacks targeting civilians, law enforcement officers and government officials, including high-profile assassinations of public officials," Rubio said in a statement.

The move is part of a broader crackdown by President Donald Trump's administration on criminal gangs in Latin America. Since returning to office, Trump has designated several gangs as foreign terrorist organizations and stepped up deadly strikes against suspected drug-trafficking boats off the coasts of Venezuela and other parts of the Pacific in Latin America.

"The Trump administration, in partnership with Ecuador and President Daniel Noboa, will continue to protect our hemisphere by keeping illicit drugs off our streets and disrupting the revenue streams funding violent narcoterrorists," Rubio said.

Rubio alleged Ecuadorean gangs help Mexican cartels transport and export illegal drugs, which he said fund terrorism and other criminal activity.

Ecuador's foreign ministry welcomed the U.S. decision, saying it reflected Washington's strong support for President Daniel Noboa's campaign against criminal organizations.

"The Government of Ecuador thanks the firm support of the United States for the decision by President Daniel Noboa to maintain an all-out fight against criminal organizations," the ministry said in a statement posted on X. REUTERS