U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced that the United States has designated the Ecuadorian criminal gang Los Tiguerones as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
\n\nLos Tiguerones is one of the most dangerous criminal gangs in Ecuador, known for committing an extensive list of crimes ever since it was founded in the 2010s — including, but not limited to, drug and arms trafficking, extortion, kidnappings, and murders. Sec. Rubio detailed on social media that Los Tiguerones is one of the Ecuadorian gangs helping Mexican cartels export drugs to fund terrorism and other criminal activities.
\n\nThe gang is also known for the live takeover of the Ecuadorian news network TC Television on January 9, 2024. At the time, gang members stormed the news channel and kidnapped its staff, placing makeshift explosive devices in journalists’ pockets. Investigations conducted in recent years indicate that Los Tiguerones has expanded its drug and illegal mining activities in the neighboring nation of Peru.
\n\n“The Trump Administration will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation by keeping illicit drugs off our streets and disrupting the revenue streams funding violent narco-terrorists,” Rubio said. “Today’s action…
Original source: https://www.breitbart.com/latin-america/
