The Trump administration designated an Ecuadorian gang as a "foreign terrorist organization" on Wednesday, extending its list of designated foreign terrorist groups in Latin America and the Caribbean to 21.

The State Department designated Los Tiguerones as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

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According to the department, Los Tiguerones is an Ecuador-based gang linked to narcotrafficking and other illicit activity, along with several attacks targeting civilians, law enforcement officers and journalists, including the live takeover of an Ecuadorian TV station in 2024.

"The Trump administration will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation by keeping illicit drugs off our streets and disrupting the revenue streams funding violent narcoterrorists," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

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"Today’s action taken by the State Department further demonstrates that the Trump administration continues to deliver on its promises to the American people to dismantle cartels and narcoterrorist networks in our region, ensuring the safety of the American people," he added.

The announcement came during Rubio's diplomatic tour to South America, where he made stops in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to address U.S. efforts to combat drug trafficking in Latin America.

The label was previously reserved for terrorist groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida that use violence for political ambitions and not for financially motivated crime organizations like the ones in Latin America and the Caribbean that have recently been added to the list.

But the administration wants to increase pressure on the crime rings and anyone believed to be assisting them.

The government began using the strategy in February 2025, and it served as a pretext for the U.S. capture of then-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this year, as well as dozens of deadly attacks on boats allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking.

The strategy also prompted Latin American countries, including Guatemala and Argentina, to take similar action against certain groups and led Ecuador to launch joint operations on its own soil.

Rubio said terrorist designations "expose and isolate entities and individuals, denying them access to the U.S. financial system and the resources they need to carry out attacks." He also said designations can assist law enforcement actions of other U.S. agencies and governments.

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Mexico has the most groups of any country on the U.S. list for designated foreign terrorist organizations with eight. The Mexican government is under intense pressure from the U.S. to prevent President Donald Trump from taking unilateral action against cartels in Mexico.

Trump’s approach has also featured contradictions, as he pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison for drug trafficking and accused during his trial of protecting the Sinaloa Cartel. Hernández has since returned to his country.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into allegations that the Los Angeles Clippers arranged secret, off-the-books sponsorship deals for Kawhi Leonard to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap, first reported by The New York Times.

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The inquiry is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, which has previously pursued major sports integrity cases involving NBA referee gambling and FIFA corruption.

Federal authorities began scrutinizing the Clippers’ alleged conduct before the NBA announced its penalties, including a $30 million fine, the forfeiture of five consecutive first-round picks from 2029 through 2033 and a one-year suspension for owner Steve Ballmer. Two top Clippers executives also received suspensions.

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The Times reported that a grand jury has already issued at least one subpoena in the investigation.

Investigators are zeroing in on undisclosed endorsement deals, including a reported $28 million agreement with Aspiration Partners.

The green finance company later collapsed into bankruptcy, while co-founder Joe Sanberg was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for fraud.

Prosecutors are examining whether Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and team executives helped facilitate side deals that compensated Leonard beyond the NBA’s salary-cap limits.

The SEC has also entered the investigation. Daktronics, which supplied displays for the Clippers’ Intuit Dome, confirmed that regulators requested records tied to its sponsorship agreements with Leonard.

The federal investigation significantly escalates the Clippers’ scandal, which the NBA called a "pattern of misconduct" after a yearlong review by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

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Leonard’s uncle and manager, Dennis Robertson, received a five-year ban from the NBA, while Leonard was ordered to pay $700,000 in restitution.

The Clippers strongly rejected the NBA’s findings, accusing the league of conducting a biased investigation designed to justify a predetermined narrative.

"We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence," the franchise said in a statement.

The team added, "We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process."

David Kelley, Ballmer’s attorney, called the NBA’s investigation a "witch hunt" and a "gross injustice" in a letter to Commissioner Adam Silver.

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Kelley argued that league officials privately acknowledged facts that contradicted the NBA’s public position.

"League counsel has acknowledged in our discussions that the league does not believe there was an agreement between the Clippers and Aspiration to funnel money to Kawhi Leonard," Kelley wrote.

He also emphasized that federal authorities previously determined Ballmer was "a victim of Joe Sanberg’s fraud, not a participant."

Leonard defended his conduct while acknowledging mistakes by members of his inner circle.

"Integrity and respect for this game are fundamental to who I am," Leonard said. "I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family."

Leonard added that he entered into his Clippers contract and the other agreements "in good faith," with no knowledge of any effort to circumvent the salary cap.

Ballmer and the Clippers are considering a federal lawsuit against the NBA to block the sanctions.

The criminal investigation could complicate that effort. Civil litigation may be delayed if key witnesses invoke their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

Spokespersons for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Clippers and the NBA declined to comment on the investigation.

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