State Dept. Draws Up List of Cartels to Be Labeled Terrorist Groups

The Trump administration plans to designate more than a half-dozen criminal groups with roots in Latin America as foreign terrorist organizations, said five U.S. officials with knowledge of the imminent action.

The move, to be carried out by the State Department, follows an executive order President Trump signed on Jan. 20 calling for a crackdown on major cartels. The designation is expected to be applied to eight groups, said two of the officials, though the list could change before a public announcement. The officials who spoke for this article did so on the condition of anonymity to talk about an action that has not been made public yet.

The executive order called for the designations, saying the cartels “constitute a national-security threat beyond that posed by traditional organized crime” and that the United States would “ensure the total elimination” of the groups.

Mr. Trump gave Secretary of State Marco Rubio two weeks to make the designations in consultation with several other cabinet members. The criminal groups and their members could be labeled foreign terrorist organizations or specially designated global terrorists, according to the order. The designations mean the U.S. government can impose broad economic sanctions on the groups and on people or entities linked to them.

Read more: New York Times