The Trump administration has designated two Ecuadorian gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, intensifying its crackdown on Latin American cartels.
During his visit to Quito on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio identified the groups as Los Lobos and Los Choneros. The designation enables U.S. agencies to freeze assets, restrict financial activity, and potentially use lethal force in coordination with Ecuadorian authorities.
The move follows a U.S. military strike on a Venezuelan vessel allegedly operated by Tren de Aragua, which killed 11 people.
Los Choneros has long worked with Mexican cartels and remains central to Ecuador’s drug trade. Its alleged leader, Jose Adolfo “Fito” Macias Villamar, has been indicted in the United States on federal drug and firearm charges and is currently in custody.
Los Lobos emerged in 2020 as a splinter from Los Choneros after the assassination of leader Jorge Luis Zambrano. By 2024, they had grown to over 8,000 members, becoming Ecuador’s largest criminal organization. Both gangs were sanctioned by the United States in 2024.
“These are not narco traffickers. These are narco terrorists,” Rubio said after meeting President Daniel Noboa.
While Rubio said the strike on a Tren de Aragua vessel “will happen again,” he noted that such actions would not be necessary in “cooperating countries” like Ecuador, suggesting future operations would rely on joint targeting efforts. “They’re going to help us find these people and blow them up. If that’s what it takes,” he said.
While in Ecuador, Rubio and Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld also announced agreements to expand security funding, strengthen migration cooperation, and advance talks on a free trade agreement. The commitments include $13 million in general security assistance and $6 million for drones for the Ecuadorian Navy.
Rubio also said he would consider re-establishing a U.S. military base in Ecuador, a move Noboa supports but which would require approval in a national referendum.
