Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday announced the designation of the Ecuadorean gang Chone Killers as a foreign terrorist organization and a specially designated global terrorist. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
July 2 (UPI) -- The State Department designated the Ecuadorean gang Chone Killers a terrorist organization on Wednesday, the latest move in the Trump administration's campaign against Latin American and Caribbean criminal organizations over alleged narcoterrorism.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Chone Killers as a foreign terrorist organization and a specially designated global terrorist, making it a federal crime to knowingly provide material support to the group and blocking its property and interests in property within U.S. jurisdiction.
In doing so, Rubio accused Chone Killers of helping Mexican cartels move and export drugs to fund terrorism and criminal activity, as well as attacking civilians, law enforcement officers and government officials.
"The Trump administration, in partnership with Ecuador and President Daniel Noboa, will continue to protect our hemisphere by keeping illicit drugs off our streets and disrupting the revenue streams funding violent narcoterrorists," the United States' top diplomat said in a statement.
