U.S. Designates Ecuador’s ‘Chone Killers’ Gang as Foreign Terrorist Organization
By Suman Munshi, IBG NEWS Desk
Washington, D.C., July 2: The United States Department of State has officially designated the Ecuador-based criminal group Chone Killers as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), strengthening U.S. efforts to combat transnational organised crime and narcoterrorism across the Western Hemisphere.
The announcement was made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said the designation reflects the United States’ continued commitment to dismantling violent criminal organisations responsible for terrorism, drug trafficking and attacks on public institutions.
According to the State Department, Chone Killers has been linked to numerous violent attacks targeting civilians, law enforcement personnel and government officials in Ecuador. The gang has also been accused of carrying out several high-profile assassinations of public officials.
Authorities said the group emerged in 2020 after breaking away from Los Choneros, another Ecuadorian criminal organisation that has already been designated by the United States as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity.
In the statement, Secretary Rubio said the Trump Administration, in cooperation with the Government of Ecuador and President Daniel Noboa, will continue working to curb the flow of illicit drugs, disrupt the financial networks of violent criminal groups and enhance regional security.
The U.S. State Department stated that the latest action demonstrates Washington’s determination to dismantle cartels and narcoterrorist organisations operating in the region while protecting the safety and security of the American people.
The designation has been made under Section 219 of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, which provides the legal framework for identifying and sanctioning terrorist organisations. The designation will become effective upon its publication in the Federal Register.
The move enables the United States to impose stricter financial sanctions, restrict access to the U.S. financial system, freeze assets under U.S. jurisdiction, and criminalise material support to the designated organisation. It also strengthens international cooperation in tracking and disrupting the group’s operations.
The latest designation underscores the growing international focus on combating organised criminal networks that combine drug trafficking, violence and terrorism, particularly in Latin America, where such groups have increasingly become a major regional security concern.
