February 19, 2025
The U.S. Department of State has officially designated several cartels and criminal organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). The designations include some of the most powerful criminal groups and marks a significant change in the U.S. government’s approach to combating transnational organized crime. The eight groups and aliases named in the designation are Tren de Aragua; Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13); Cartel de Sinaloa (Sinaloa Cartel); Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (New Generation Cartel of Jalisco); Carteles Unidos (United Cartels); Cartel del Noreste (Los Zetas); Cartel del Golfo (Gulf Cartel); and La Nueva Familia Michoacana (LNFM).
Following this designation, the Arizona House Republicans moved to declare drug cartels as terrorist organizations under House Bill 2855 and House Concurrent Resolution 2055, co-sponsored by both State Representatives Gail Griffin and Lupe Diaz. Both measures were passed by the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday and are advancing to a full House vote. This legislation was vetoed by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs in 2023 as House Bill 2675. The Governor stated in her letter to the Speaker that the designation is not a function of the state government. Speaker of the House Steve Montenegro said he intends to bring the issue to voters as a proposition on the ballet if the legislation is vetoed again.
The State Department’s decision follows a review of administrative records and consultations between the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of the Treasury. The department concluded that there is sufficient factual basis to classify these groups as FTOs due to their extensive involvement in activities that threaten national security, including drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, extortion, and violence.
Among the designated groups, the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación are the most dominant players. These "transnational criminal organizations" (TCOs) control vast networks of clandestine drug production sites, transportation routes, and smuggling corridors into the United States. Two of the known major smuggling routes include Douglas and Nogales, Arizona according to a study by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. Cartels maintain operational hubs in U.S. cities along the Southwest Border and other key locations nationwide, facilitating the flow of illicit drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin.
According to a 2024 report by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels were responsible for the worst drug crisis in U.S. history. The two groups control the flow of nearly all illicit drugs into the United States. In 2023, fentanyl claimed nearly 38,000 lives in the United States the first six months, making it the deadliest drug threat American’s faced. Federal authorities in Cochise County seized over $163,000 in 28 bulk cash seizures linked to drug trafficking during the same year.
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