US Sanctions Ecuador’s Chone Killers Gang as Terrorist Organization Amid Crackdown on Latin American Crime Networks]
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the gang had also been classified as a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’.
Published On 2 Jul 2026
The US State Department has designated Ecuador’s Chone Killers gang as a foreign terrorist organization, imposing sanctions on the criminal group accused of carrying out attacks against civilians and public officials.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the gang has also been classified as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist.” This designation targets individuals and entities involved in terrorism worldwide.
The move represents part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to combat organized crime and drug trafficking throughout Latin America. The Chone Killers join several other Latin American criminal organizations already designated as terrorist entities by the US, including Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.
“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 announcing the designations.
“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,” he added.
Rubio also alleged that Ecuadorean gangs facilitate the transportation and export of illegal drugs to Mexican cartels, which he claims fund terrorism and other criminal activities.
Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the US decision, stating it reflects Washington’s strong support for President Noboa’s anti-criminal organization campaign.
“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 Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on X.
Noboa, a key Trump ally, has implemented curfews and deployed military forces to multiple provinces as part of a US-backed operation aimed at dismantling gang operations.
