US Broadens Anti-Cartel Campaign, Designates Two More Mexican Groups as Terrorists

The United States has designated the Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) , expanding its list of Mexican criminal groups subject to tougher sanctions and law enforcement measures under the Trump administration.

The designation, published in the Federal Register on Thursday, raises the number of Mexican cartels on the US terrorist list to eight. The two groups join the Sinaloa Cartel , the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and other organisations designated under a policy launched by President Donald Trump in February 2025 .

The FTO designation gives US authorities broader powers to target the groups and anyone accused of supporting them, including through enhanced financial sanctions, criminal prosecutions and other counterterrorism measures. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said both organisations have either committed terrorist acts or pose a significant threat to US national security, foreign policy or economic interests.

The move also increases pressure on the administration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum , following the recent indictment of 10 current and former officials from the state of Sinaloa over alleged links to the Sinaloa Cartel and amid ongoing debates over US security operations in Mexico.

The Juárez Cartel , one of Mexico's oldest drug trafficking organisations, has long controlled smuggling routes through Ciudad Juárez , opposite El Paso, Texas . Founded by Amado Carrillo Fuentes , the cartel has maintained a major cross-border trafficking network despite repeated leadership arrests.

Meanwhile, Los Viagras , based in Michoacán , emerged after the 2013–2014 self-defence movement against drug cartels. The group finances its operations through extortion and the production of synthetic drugs supplied to larger trafficking networks. Its leader, Nicolás Sierra Santana , has been indicted in the US on drug trafficking conspiracy charges, and the State Department is offering a USD 5 million reward for information leading to his capture.

The latest designations reflect Washington's continued strategy of using terrorism laws to intensify efforts against powerful transnational criminal organisations operating along the US-Mexico border.