Rubio seeks $45 million in security funding for Ecuador

Key facts

• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will seek $45 million in security funding for Ecuador.
• The funding aims to combat drug trafficking, organized crime, illegal gold mining, gang recruitment, and illicit finance.
• The U.S. will sanction seven former Ecuadorean officials for bribery.
• The U.S. will provide a 110-foot coast guard cutter and five interceptor vessels to Ecuador's navy.
• Rubio stated the U.S. will continue to target Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for attacks on their warships.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced during a visit to Quito that he would seek $45 million in additional security funding for Ecuador to help combat drug trafficking and organized crime. Rubio met with Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa, emphasizing that Washington is increasingly working with the government to dismantle drug trafficking organizations, which he described as having "terrorist capabilities."

Rubio also designated the Ecuador-based gang Los Tiguerones as a foreign terrorist organization, following similar designations against two other gangs last year. The State Department noted the group's links to narcotrafficking and illicit activities, including a 2024 TV station takeover. Additionally, the U.S. will impose sanctions on seven former Ecuadorean officials involved in bribery. The proposed funding package also includes a $10 million initiative targeting illegal gold mining, gang recruitment, and illicit finance. The U.S. will further supply Ecuador's navy with a 110-foot coast guard cutter and five interceptor vessels, in addition to seven already delivered this year.

Rubio also stated that the U.S. will continue to target Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for attacks on their warships, aiming to "strangle" Tehran economically.