Legal Insurrection by Mary Chastain 2/20/2025
“The intent of designating these cartels and transnational organizations as terrorists is to protect our nation, the American people, and our hemisphere.”
The State Department has officially designated international gangs and cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
“The intent of designating these cartels and transnational organizations as terrorists is to protect our nation, the American people, and our hemisphere. That means stopping the campaigns of violence and terror by these vicious groups both in the United States and internationally,” announced Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “These designations provide law enforcement additional tools to stop these groups.”
These include:
Tren de Aragua (TdA) is a transnational organization that originated in Venezuela with cells in Colombia, Peru, and Chile, with further reports of sporadic presence in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Brazil. This brutal criminal group has conducted kidnappings, extorted businesses, bribed public officials, authorized its members to attack and kill U.S. law enforcement, and assassinated a Venezuelan opposition figure.
Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) is a transnational organization that originated in Los Angeles but shifted to Central America as individuals were deported there from the United States. MS-13 actively recruits, organizes, and spreads violence in several countries, primarily in Central America and North America, including El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States. MS-13 has conducted numerous violent attacks, including assassination and the use of IEDs and drones, against El Salvador government officials and facilities. Additionally, MS-13 uses public displays of violence to intimidate civilian populations to obtain and control territory and manipulate the electoral process in El Salvador.
Cártel de Sinaloa is a transnational organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico. It is one of the world’s most powerful drug cartels and is one of the largest producers and traffickers of fentanyl and other illicit drugs to the United States. Cártel de Sinaloa has used violence to murder, kidnap, and intimidate civilians, government officials, and journalists.
Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) is a transnational organization with a presence in nearly every part of Mexico. In addition to trafficking fentanyl, the group engages in extortion, migrant smuggling, oil and mineral theft, as well as weapons trade. The group has contacts across the Americas, as well as in Australia, China, and Southeast Asia. CJNG has conducted intimidating acts of violence, including attacks on Mexican military and police with military grade weaponry, the use of drones to drop explosives on Mexican law enforcement, and assassinations or attempted assassinations of Mexican officials.
Cártel del Noreste (CDN), formerly known as Los Zetas, is a transnational organization based in northeastern Mexico involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, human smuggling, and other illicit activities. CDN uses violence to exert its criminal control, including attacks against government officials in Mexico.
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“Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities,” continued Rubio. “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.”
More:
https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/02/state-dept-designates-international-cartels-gangs-as-terrorist-organizations/
