Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in another move against cartels and drug traffickers, on Thursday said the Trump administration is designating two Ecuadorean gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.
In a notice released Thursday, the State Department said it would publish its declaration in the Federal Register on Friday to label the Los Choneros and Los Lobos gangs as global terrorist organizations.
The declaration, Rubio said in the notice, was based on a review of administration records and in consultation with the Treasury Department and Justice Department.
“I have concluded that there is a sufficient factual basis to find that the relevant circumstances exist” to declare the groups as terrorist organizations, he said, although other details were not provided in the notice. Los Choneros is also known as The Choneros, Aguilas, and Fatales, according to the notice, while Los Lobos is also known as The Lobos, and Los Lobos Drug Trafficking Organization….