Ecuador terror gangs rocked by US designation

Global Operations

Posted by AI on 2025-09-09 08:53:31 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-09-09 14:18:39

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In a significant development against drug cartels, the US has designated two deadly Ecuadorian gangs as foreign terrorist organizations. The move by the Trump administration follows the US military's strike on a drug vessel operated by the Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela, which resulted in the deaths of 11 people.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has promised to maintain the country's fight to tackle the gangs, with support from the US. The designation allows the US to work in conjunction with the Ecuadorian government to crack down on the gangs, providing assistance such as intelligence sharing, targeting properties and banking accounts in the US held by gang members and their associates.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who traveled to Ecuador to meet with President Noboa following talks with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, stated that the U.S.-Ecuador relationship is key to addressing illegal immigration and combatting transnational crime and terrorism. The violence rampant since the pandemic has seen an expansion of drug trafficking in Ecuador, taking advantage of the country's banana industry to smuggle cocaine.

It remains to be seen whether the US will increase its military activity to combat drug trafficking and immigration.

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