During a trip to Ecuador, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the U.S. will classify Los Lobos and Los Choneros — Ecuador’s two most powerful gangs — as foreign terrorist organizations, according to the BBC.
«This is what they really are,» Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa said earlier this year, urging Washington to make the move.
The new designation allows U.S. authorities to freeze assets, share intelligence freely and potentially launch lethal operations against affiliates.
Recent U.S. military strike
The comments come just days after a U.S. strike in the southern Caribbean killed 11 alleged traffickers. The White House said the group was linked to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang.
However, legal analysts told the BBC the action may have violated maritime and human rights law.
Support for Ecuador’s crackdown
Rubio also promised $13.5 million in security funding and $6 million in drones to bolster Ecuador’s anti-drug campaign.
Violence in the country has surged in recent years as cartels fight for control of cocaine routes. According to government figures, about 70% of the world’s cocaine now passes through Ecuador before reaching the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
Noboa pushes for foreign military role
President Noboa has called his battle with gangs a «war.» He has even proposed constitutional changes that could reopen Ecuador to foreign military bases, which have been closed since 2009.
He also welcomed the possibility of U.S. and European military support.
«I’d be glad if they recognized Los Lobos and Los Choneros as terrorist groups,» he said.
Migration and legal uncertainty
Cartel violence has fueled migration northward. Yet legal experts say the terror designation could complicate asylum claims.
On one hand, victims may be recognized as fleeing terrorism. On the other hand, those forced to pay extortion could risk being seen as providing «material support» to terrorists.
warned that Washington is prepared to use lethal force against international criminal gangs.
«Blow them up if needed»
During his visit to Ecuador, Rubio said that the U.S. will cooperate with local authorities to find dangerous criminals and «blow them up, if that’s what it takes.» This somehow echoes Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s words, said in 1999, when he pledged to «flush terrorists down the toilet.» At the time, the Kremlin was entering the second Chechen war, tightening control over the country.
