The United States has formally designated Los Tiguerones — an Ecuadorian crime gang notorious for storming a television studio during a live broadcast in January 2024 — as a terrorist organisation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement in Quito during a three-nation Latin American tour, pledging $45 million in additional congressional funding to help dismantle such groups alongside Ecuadorian forces. The move is part of the Trump administration's broader campaign against narcotics traffickers it says are destabilising the region, with Ecuador cited as Washington's most aggressive partner in that effort.