On Wednesday, the United States designated Ecuador-based Chone Killers as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
The United States claims that the Ecuadorian gang has carried out numerous attacks on citizens, law enforcement officers, and government officials, including high-profile assassinations of public leaders.
According to the State Department, Chone Killers began as a branch of Los Choneros — a classified FTO and SDGT — before splitting off into a new group in 2020.
Washington says the US, along with Ecuador and President Daniel Noboa, will continue to secure the hemisphere by cutting off illicit drug sources and destroying traffickers’ financial lines.
The latest step, according to the government, underscores the Trump administration’s dedication to eliminating regional cartels and narco-terrorists while also safeguarding the safety of American citizens.
The designation came one day after the United States sanctioned two Mexican people and nine businesses tied to the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación.
CJNG, a declared Foreign Terrorist Organization, was led by Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” until his death in February this year during a military operation in Mexico.
According to Washington, the Treasury’s action underlines CJNG’s “exploitation of Mexico’s petroleum and petrochemicals sector,” which has been labelled a threat to legal US enterprises and the financial system.