U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that Mexico “hasn’t done enough” to combat drug trafficking organizations, contrasting that assessment with praise for Ecuador, which he called Washington’s most “aggressive” partner in the fight against cartels in the Western Hemisphere.
Rubio made the comments in Quito during the second stop of a three-country South American tour aimed at strengthening security cooperation with conservative allies of President Trump. He met with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who has embraced the Trump administration’s tough stance on drug trafficking and illegal immigration, and announced that a criminal network known as Los Tiguerones would be designated a foreign terrorist organization—a label that could open the door to U.S. military action against the group.
Ecuador has assisted the U.S. in intercepting and sinking boats suspected of drug trafficking, including one linked to the criminal group Los Choneros. Rubio said he would ask Congress for $45 million (roughly 220 million Mexican pesos at current exchange rates) to continue funding efforts to dismantle such groups, though he didn’t specify how the money would be used.
The visit comes amid a broader U.S. military campaign against alleged drug boats that has killed at least 227 people over the past year, according to reports, with the Trump administration providing no public evidence to support its “narco-terrorist” accusations. Read the full story at Telemundo.com.
Source: Rubio afirma que el esfuerzo de México en la lucha contra el narco “no es suficiente” (telemundo.com).
Image: Defence Images, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).