US pledges $45 million to Ecuador and designates Los Tiguerones gang as terrorist group

Security funding and naval vessel transfers

During an official visit to Quito on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Trump administration will request $45 million from Congress for security funding in Ecuador. The financial package aims to support anti-narcotics efforts and assist Ecuadorian authorities in dismantling criminal networks. In addition to the primary security sum, the United States plans to launch a $10 million initiative targeting illegal gold mining operations, gang recruitment, and illicit financial flows. Rubio also detailed military hardware transfers, confirming the delivery of a 34-meter Coast Guard cutter alongside five interceptor boats for the Ecuadorian Navy. These vessels supplement seven interceptors transferred to Ecuador earlier in 2026. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa presented Rubio with the National Order of Merit in the grade of Grand Cross, the highest honor awarded by the country.

Sanctions and the Los Tiguerones terrorist designation

The US State Department formally added the Ecuadorian criminal group Los Tiguerones to its lists of foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists. The classification allows US authorities to freeze financial assets linked to the gang within American banking networks and restrict access to the international financial system. Los Tiguerones drew international attention in 2024 when armed members stormed the studios of TC Televisión during a live broadcast of the El Noticiero program, brandishing shotguns, machine guns, grenades, and dynamite. The televised assault prompted Noboa to declare a state of internal armed conflict as gangs fought over transit routes for coca produced in Colombia and Peru. Alongside the gang designation, Washington issued sanctions against seven former Ecuadorian government officials accused of involvement in bribery and corruption.

We are not talking about an ordinary mafia, nor are we talking about common criminals, we are talking about terrorists who, in many cases, possess weapons and equipment resembling the national armies of certain countries.

Regional tour and maritime military operations

Rubio arrived in Quito from Colombia, where he met with Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella on the first stop of a three-nation South American tour. The diplomatic trip concludes on Thursday in Peru with scheduled discussions alongside Keiko Fujimori. Security cooperation and joint maritime interdiction form the core of the regional agenda as the Trump administration coordinates with conservative leaders. Under bilateral agreements, US special forces conduct joint operations with Ecuadorian counterparts in territorial waters and Pacific shipping corridors. The cooperation occurs alongside ongoing US military strikes on suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, where the US Southern Command reports more than 200 fatalities since late 2025. In a recent overnight operation, a US strike on a suspected boat in the Caribbean killed three people, while United Nations officials have raised legal concerns regarding lethal military strikes carried out in international waters.

These groups became more powerful than governments in many cases. And if you don't confront these groups, they will eat these countries alive.