In his second term in office, President Donald Trump has taken drastic measures to combat the trafficking of fentanyl and other drugs.
On the first day of his term in 2025, he signed an executive order to declare drug cartels as terrorist organizations.
On January 20, Trump declared that cartels represent a “security threat” to the United States. According to the president, these groups have destabilized key countries in the Western Hemisphere and have flooded the American territory with drugs and violence.
Although the initiative requires Senate approval, The New York Times revealed on February 13 that five senior officials have shared details about the imminent measures.
Among the eight groups that could be reclassified as terrorists, five are of Mexican origin: the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG), the Cartel del Noreste, La Familia Michoacana and Carteles Unidos.
Sinaloa Cartels and CJNG, the main targets
The Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment report identifies the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG as the main organizations responsible for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamines in the United States. It notes that these two organizations have a presence throughout the country and control the flow of synthetic drugs crossing the border.
The Sinaloa Cartel has distribution centers in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago, while the CJNG operates in Los Angeles, Seattle, Charlotte, Chicago, and Atlanta. The states with the greatest presence of these groups include Texas, California, Florida, and Illinois, although activity has also been detected in Colorado, North Carolina, New York, New Mexico, and Massachusetts.
Other cartels on the list
The Familia Michoacana maintains a presence in Texas, Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Illinois, and is also believed to operate in New Mexico, Washington, D.C. and North Carolina. The organization, led by Johnny and José Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga, has been linked to drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, homicide and money laundering.
The Cartel del Noreste and Carteles Unidos have been included on the list due to their role as “shock troops” in the expansion of the territorial control of the large cartels.
Outside of the Mexican groups, the Trump administration is also seeking to designate Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and El Salvador’s Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) as terrorist organizations.
Trump’s initiative could have repercussions on the relationship between the United States and Mexico, since the designation of the cartels as terrorist groups could justify military action and more severe sanctions against these criminal organizations.
Source: elimparcial
