U.S. Designates Ecuador's Chone Killers Gang As Terrorist Organization
The United States on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, designated Ecuadorian gang Chone Killers as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and specially designated global terrorists, freezing any assets in U.S. jurisdictions and enabling sanctions and prosecutions.[1]
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the gang has carried out numerous attacks on civilians, law enforcement and government officials, including high-profile assassinations.[1] The designation also allows the U.S. to sanction and criminally prosecute leaders and associates and freezes any Chone Killers assets in U.S. jurisdictions.[1] Ecuador's foreign ministry welcomed the move as support for President Daniel Noboa's crackdown on criminal groups.[1]
After Los Choneros leader Jorge Luis Zambrano was murdered in 2020, the group splintered and Chone Killers emerged as an independent faction operating mainly in Guayas province. The gang is linked to extortion, drug trafficking and contract killings and by late 2025 had an estimated 2,000 members concentrated around Durán. Washington previously labeled Los Choneros a foreign terrorist organization after the split and in September 2025 added other Ecuadorian gangs to its list as part of an effort to target transnational criminal networks.
U.S. officials, including Rubio, said the designation reflects concerns about the gangs' links to Mexican cartels and fits a broader strategy to treat violent transnational criminal networks as terrorist threats.[1]
The mainstream summary does not mention the alarming context of Ecuador's escalating violence, which saw a record high of 9,161 intentional homicides in 2025, representing a staggering 31 percent increase from the previous year. This statistic underscores the severity of the situation that prompted the U.S. designation of the Chone Killers as a terrorist organization, framing it as part of a broader crisis in Ecuador rather than an isolated incident.[2]
Furthermore, while the mainstream account highlights the U.S. designation as a straightforward response to gang violence, analyses suggest it also reflects a strategic shift in U.S. policy. The designation is seen as part of a larger effort to treat transnational crime as a national security threat, expanding executive tools for sanctions and military actions against groups like the Chone Killers, which have ties to Mexican cartels. This framing indicates a more complex interplay between U.S. foreign policy and Ecuador's internal challenges, which the summary does not fully capture.[3]
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📊 Relevant Data
Ecuador recorded 9,161 intentional homicides in 2025, for a rate of 50.9 per 100,000 inhabitants—a 31 percent increase from 2024 and a record high.
InSight Crime's 2025 Homicide Round-Up — InSight Crime
The Chone Killers have an estimated 2,000 members and operate primarily in Ecuador's Guayas province, especially Durán.
Los Chone Killers — Wikipedia
📌 Key Facts
- On Wednesday, July 1, 2026, the U.S. designated Ecuadorian gang Chone Killers a Foreign Terrorist Organization and specially designated global terrorists.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the gang has carried out numerous attacks on civilians, law enforcement and government officials, including high-profile assassinations.
- The designation freezes any Chone Killers assets in U.S. jurisdictions and allows sanctions and criminal prosecution of leaders and associates.
- Ecuador’s foreign ministry publicly welcomed the designation as support for President Daniel Noboa’s crackdown on criminal groups.
- Chone Killers is an offshoot of Los Chineros, which the U.S. previously designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2020.
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