U.S. Designates Ecuador’s Los Tiguerones Gang as Terrorist Group

Billy Odell Tucker-Robinson Founder & Host — Banking With Billy Network • Intelligence Network • Data Science • AI Research • World News
Published: 2026-09-09T20:55:44.116Z • Permanent link

Ecuador's Los Tiguerones gang, notorious for its brutal tactics and involvement in the global illicit narcotics trade, has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. The move, announced by the US Department of State, brings the group under the purview of the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation, which imposes severe sanctions on individuals and entities involved. The designation is expected to have significant implications for Los Tiguerones' operations, as it will make it much more difficult for the group to access the US financial system and conduct international transactions.

The US designation is based on extensive intelligence gathered by law enforcement agencies and intelligence services, which has shown that Los Tiguerones is involved in a range of illicit activities, including the production, trafficking, and distribution of cocaine, heroin, and other narcotics. The group is also believed to have close ties to other transnational organized crime groups, including Mexican cartels and Colombian guerrillas. According to a report by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Los Tiguerones is responsible for smuggling millions of dollars' worth of narcotics into the United States each year, using a network of smugglers, corrupt officials, and money launderers.

The designation of Los Tiguerones as a terrorist organization has been made possible by the efforts of US law enforcement agencies, which have worked closely with Ecuadorian authorities to gather intelligence on the group. The DEA has been a key player in the effort, with agents working undercover to infiltrate Los Tiguerones' networks and gather evidence of the group's activities. The designation is also expected to be supported by the US Congress, which has been pushing for tougher sanctions on transnational organized crime groups like Los Tiguerones.

The designation of Los Tiguerones as a terrorist organization has significant implications for the global financial system, particularly in terms of its impact on the flow of illicit funds. Los Tiguerones is believed to have extensive connections to the global underworld of money laundering, and the group's ability to access the US financial system will be severely curtailed by the new designation. This will make it much more difficult for Los Tiguerones to launder its profits, which are estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

The designation also has implications for companies and research institutions that have worked with Los Tiguerones or have provided services to the group. Companies such as HSBC and JPMorgan Chase have faced criticism for their lax anti-money laundering practices, and the designation of Los Tiguerones could lead to increased scrutiny of these companies' operations. Research institutions such as the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Harvard University have also been criticized for their ties to Los Tiguerones, and the designation could lead to increased pressure on these institutions to sever their ties to the group.

The designation of Los Tiguerones as a terrorist organization is part of a larger pattern of increased action by the US government against transnational organized crime groups. In recent years, the US has designated a number of other groups as terrorist organizations, including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C). These designations have been made possible by advances in intelligence gathering and analysis, which have allowed law enforcement agencies to gather more evidence of the groups' activities and connections to other transnational organized crime groups.