LatinNews Daily - 17 June 2024

Ecuador: On 6 June Ecuador’s foreign ministry celebrated the decision by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) to sanction Ecuadorean criminal organisation Los Lobos and its alleged leader Wilmer ‘Pipo’ Chavarría. This comes after the US Department of the Treasury designated Los Lobos pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 14059, for “having engaged in, or attempted to engage in, activities or transactions that materially contributed to, or pose a significant risk of materially contributing to, the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production.” As a result, all property and interests in property of designated individuals must be reported to the Ofac, and any entities that are owned by one or more designated individuals are also blocked. Ecuador’s foreign ministry responded in a statement, affirming that the blockage of assets held in the US by Los Lobos and its associates “delivers a blow to their ability to commit criminal acts.” The statement adds that “the fight against organised crime constitutes a shared responsibility between [the US and Ecuador], a noteworthy aspect of binational cooperation in this field.” Ofac’s decision reflects the ongoing strengthening of US-Ecuador security relations. Since 9 January, when Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa declared his country to be in a state of “internal armed conflict”, the US has added US$10m to its planned investment for Ecuadorean counternarcotics, civilian security, and rule of law programming. Binational measures have included two US-Ecuador military partnership agreements: one concerning joint operations against illicit transnational maritime activities, the other defining the legal status and immunities for US military personnel operating in Ecuador.

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