State Dept Labels Ecuador’s Los Choneros, Los Lobos As Foreign Terror Orgs; Crackdown Targets Cartels Fueling Border Smuggling

The State Department designated Ecuadorian gangs Los Choneros and Los Lobos as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, enabling expanded intelligence-sharing and financial targeting. Officials linked the move to recent U.S. strikes on narco-vessels and framed it as part of a broader campaign against cartels that fuel drug trafficking and human smuggling toward the U.S. border. The gangs are tied to Mexico’s Sinaloa and CJNG networks, and the action follows high-level meetings in Quito aimed at deepening U.S.-Ecuador cooperation.