US adds Ecuador’s Chone Killers gang to terrorism sanctions lists
The State Department accused the gang of attacks on civilians and officials as Washington expands its campaign against Latin American crime groups.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
The United States has designated Ecuador’s Chone Killers gang as a foreign “terrorist organisation,” adding sanctions pressure to a group Washington accuses of violent attacks. The decision matters for Ecuador’s security campaign because President Daniel Noboa’s government has sought US support for a crackdown on criminal organisations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department also classified Chone Killers as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist.” In a statement announcing the designations, Rubio accused the gang of carrying out “numerous attacks” against civilians, police and government officials, including high-profile assassinations of public officials.
The State Department action targets an Ecuadorian street gang as part of President Donald Trump’s wider effort against organised crime and drug trafficking in Latin America, according to AFP and Reuters. The administration has previously placed other Latin American criminal groups on terrorism lists, including Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.
Ecuador welcomes US decision
Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised the US action in a statement posted on X. The ministry said the decision reflected Washington’s support for Noboa’s effort to fight criminal organisations.
“The Government of Ecuador thanks the firm support of the United States for the decision by President Daniel Noboa to maintain an all-out fight against criminal organisations,” the ministry said.
Rubio said the Trump administration would continue working with Ecuador and Noboa to keep illegal drugs out of US communities and disrupt money flows to what he called violent “narcoterrorists.” He also alleged that Ecuadorian gangs help Mexican cartels move and export illegal drugs, which he said fund terrorism and other criminal activity.
Noboa, a close Trump ally, has imposed curfews and sent the military into several provinces as part of a US-backed campaign against gangs, according to AFP and Reuters. His government has presented the crackdown as a response to organised criminal groups operating inside Ecuador.
The Chone Killers have been a focus of Ecuadorian police operations. In November 2024, police said 13 alleged members of the gang were arrested during an operation in Duran, and four houses were demolished after the operation, according to AFP.
The US designations add Chone Killers to a growing list of Latin American gangs and cartels that Washington is treating through terrorism authorities. Rubio’s announcement framed the action as both a drug-trafficking measure and a security step tied to violence against civilians and state officials.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.