US Secretary of State confirms efforts to secure an additional $45 million in security funding for Ecuador

Washington, Sept 9 (KUNA) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Wednesday that the administration of President Donald Trump is seeking an additional $45 million in security funding for Ecuador, along with providing equipment to assist in combating drug trafficking. Rubio’s remarks followed a meeting with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa during his visit to the South American country, part of a three-country tour in Latin America that began yesterday and concludes tomorrow, Thursday.

The U.S. Secretary of State noted that Washington is “intensifying its cooperation with the Noboa government to take strict action against drug trafficking gangs,” emphasizing that “these are not ordinary groups; while they clearly engage in traditional crimes, they possess terrorist capabilities that extend across the region, which must be addressed. These groups must be dismantled and defeated, and we are committed to doing so.”

He stated that the Trump administration “will request Congress to allocate $45 million to fund new commitments toward Ecuador, in addition to a $10 million initiative targeting illegal gold mining, gang recruitment, and illicit financing.”

Rubio also highlighted that the United States will deliver to the Ecuadorian Coast Guard “a 110-foot patrol boat and five interception vessels for the Navy,” in addition to seven ships already delivered this year to support maritime anti-drug trafficking efforts. He further announced that the U.S. would impose sanctions on seven former Ecuadorian officials implicated in bribery cases.

In this context, the U.S. Secretary of State announced the designation of the Los Tiguerones gang, based in Ecuador, on terrorism lists, following similar designations of two other gangs in Ecuador last year. In a post on the X platform, he classified the group as a “foreign terrorist organization and a specially designated global terrorist entity.”

Rubio stressed that Los Tiguerones “help Mexican cartels transport and export illegal drugs to fund terrorism and criminal activities, including attacks targeting civilians, law enforcement officers, and journalists.” He added, “We will never stop fighting the violent drug-dealing terrorists who are flooding our country with deadly drugs.”

In another post, Rubio noted that the President of Ecuador is “a strong partner of the Trump administration in securing the Western Hemisphere and combating illegal immigration.” He pointed out that “a safer Ecuador means a more prosperous Ecuador and a safer region.”

He emphasized that the United States will continue to work with Ecuador “to defeat drug-dealing terrorists who threaten our communities and our region, while building stronger economic partnerships that benefit our citizens.”

Ecuador is the second stop on a three-country Latin American tour that Rubio began yesterday in Colombia and will conclude tomorrow in Peru, “to strengthen key U.S. partnerships in the region,” according to a prior statement by the U.S. State Department announcing the visit. (End) R.S.R / R.J.