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The United States has designated the Ecuador-based criminal gang Los Tiguerones as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), citing its links to narcotrafficking and attacks against civilians, security personnel and journalists.
The US Department of State announced the designation on Wednesday, saying the gang had been involved in numerous violent and illicit activities, including the live takeover of an Ecuadorian television station in 2024.
The designation is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to disrupt drug trafficking networks and cut off financial resources used by violent criminal groups in the region.
“Today’s action taken by the State Department further demonstrates that the Trump Administration continues to deliver on its promises to the American people to dismantle cartels and narcoterrorist networks in our region,” the department said.
Los Tiguerones is one of several powerful criminal organisations that have contributed to Ecuador’s worsening security crisis. The gang has been linked to drug trafficking, extortion and other violent crimes, particularly in Ecuador’s coastal regions.
In January 2024, armed men stormed the studio of TC Television in Guayaquil during a live broadcast, taking journalists and other staff hostage. The attack lasted about 20 minutes before security forces intervened. Ecuador subsequently designated 22 criminal organisations as terrorist groups and launched a military crackdown on organised crime.
The U.S. designation blocks all property and interests in property belonging to Los Tiguerones that are in the United States or under the possession or control of U.S. persons.
It also generally prohibits U.S. persons from transacting with the designated group.
The State Department said such designations are intended to expose and isolate terrorist organisations by denying them access to the U.S. financial system and resources needed to carry out attacks.
The measures can also support law enforcement efforts by U.S. agencies and other governments, the department said.
The designation was announced during U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Ecuador, where he also announced plans to seek $45 million in additional U.S. security assistance to help the country combat drug trafficking.
The latest action comes as Ecuador continues to battle powerful criminal networks and violence linked to competition over drug routes and other illicit activities.
