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U.S. Designates Ecuador Gang Los Tiguerones as Foreign Terrorist Organization

The administration says the designation will let Washington freeze assets, cut off financial support and back maritime and law enforcement actions to disrupt the gang’s drug networks.

FILE - A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on fire in Cointzio, Michoacán state, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2026, following the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Oseguera, also known as "El Mencho." (AP Photo/Armando Solis, File)
U.S. Sec. of State Marco Rubio gives a joint news conference with Ecuador's Foreign Minister Roberto Kury at Carondelet palace in Quito, Ecuador, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa, Pool)
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Overview

  • The State Department formally labeled Los Tiguerones as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, blocking U.S. property and generally banning transactions with the group.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed the move as a tool to deny the gang access to the U.S. financial system and to help other agencies target the group’s revenue streams and logistical networks.
  • The designation is paired with Treasury sanctions and ongoing U.S. maritime interdictions that the government says have struck suspect vessels and disrupted cocaine transit routes linked to Ecuadorian gangs.
  • Critics question whether Los Tiguerones still control the territories attributed to them and warn aggressive interdiction could harm fishermen, raise legal and sovereignty concerns, and create humanitarian risks.
  • The action fits a broader policy that has added about 20 Latin American groups to U.S. terrorism lists and could prompt banks and partners to more tightly restrict transactions and deepen security cooperation with Ecuador.