The United States has formally designated eight Latin American drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
The decision, announced by the State Department in a press statement on Thursday, grants U.S. law enforcement agencies expanded authority to target these groups’ financial networks, impose sanctions, and prosecute individuals who provide them with material support.
Among the organizations labeled as terrorist groups are Mexico’s two dominant cartels, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, as well as other criminal enterprises such as the Gulf Cartel, Cartel del Noreste, and Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan-based syndicate.
The move follows President Donald Trump’s executive order signed on his first day back in office, in which he stated that drug cartels “threaten the safety of the American people.”
“Today’s actions taken by the State Department demonstrate the Trump Administration’s commitment to protecting our national security interests and dismantling these dangerous organizations,” the State Department’s press statement reads.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who holds a prominent role in the Trump administration, stated on X that the designation “means they’re eligible for drone strikes.”
That means they’re eligible for drone strikes https://t.co/aWxKkeAinG
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 19, 2025
The State Department has yet to comment on Musk’s statement.
Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum warned that the decision to designate cartels as terrorist groups should not be used as justification for U.S. intervention in Mexico.
“This cannot be an opportunity for the U.S. to invade our sovereignty. With Mexico, it is collaboration and coordination—never subordination, interventionism, or invasion,” Sheinbaum said at a press conference.
Sheinbaum also reiterated that Mexico would honor its commitment to expand legal action against U.S. gun manufacturers.
Around 200,000 to 500,000 guns are smuggled into Mexico every year, according to 60 Minutes.
Since Trump’s return to office, the U.S. military has increased airborne surveillance of cartel activities in Mexico. Earlier this week it was also reported that the Central Intelligence Agency has launched secret drone flights over Mexico to track fentanyl production sites.
