Trump Admin Designates 2 Ecuadoran Gangs as Foreign Terrorist Organizations

The Los Choneros and Los Lobos gangs will soon be labeled as global terrorist organizations.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a joint press conference with Ecuador's Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld (out of frame) at Carondelet Presidential Palace in Quito, Ecuador, on Sept. 4, 2025. Rodrigo Buendia/AFP via Getty Images

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in another move against cartels and drug traffickers, on Sept. 4 said the Trump administration is designating two Ecuadorean gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.

In a notice released on Sept. 4, the State Department said it would publish its declaration in the Federal Register on Sept. 5 to label the Los Choneros and Los Lobos gangs as global terrorist organizations.