The Tiguerones: US Terrorist Label Meets a Fracturing Gang in Ecuador
The Tiguerones, the Ecuadorian criminal group, was added to the US State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) this…
The InSight Take: Ecuador’s Kingpin Strategy Has Tactical Wins, but Strategic Uncertainty
The capture of Ecuadorian crime boss Wilmer Chavarría, alias “Pipo,” was a major victory for President Daniel Noboa’s strategy of…
Podcast | A Marked House: Extortion in Ecuador
For Andrés and Juliana, Durán was home. That is, until extortionists from one of Ecuador’s most powerful gangs, the Chone…
The InSight Take: Inside Ecuador’s Chone Killers, the Latest Addition to US Terrorism List
The US State Department has added the Chone Killers in Ecuador to its list of foreign terrorist organizations operating across…
Ecuador Says Extortion Is Down. The Reality Is More Complicated.
It was time for after-school pickup at the San Francisco de Asís elementary school in downtown Guayaquil one recent afternoon…
What Does El Mencho’s Killing in Mexico Mean for LatAm Cocaine Flows?
The killing of Jalisco Cartel New Generation leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” in Mexico has raised questions about…
Colombia: Land of Opportunity — And Danger — for Ecuador’s Crime Bosses
A trend of Ecuadorian criminal leaders turning up in neighboring Colombia underscores how the country serves as a refuge —…
What Is Behind the Murders of Transit Officials in Ecuador?
A recent wave of violence against traffic authorities in Ecuador exposes the importance of these entities for criminal groups looking…
Chone Killers
The Chone Killers have embodied the mutation of Ecuador’s organized crime landscape from low-level street gangs to sophisticated, extremely violent…