The United States Department of State reportedly made the announcement on Wednesday that it has formally labeled certain drug cartels and gangs as official Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) and Specially labeled Global Terrorists (SDGT).
This designation increases the administration’s capabilities to battle the organizations.
Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, stated that the designation, which was made after a sufficient factual basis was established in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act to categorize the businesses as FTOs, was made in collaboration with Pam Bondi, the Attorney General of the United States, and Scott Bessent, the Secretary of the Treasury.
Tren de Aragua, Mara Salvatrucha, Cartel de Sinaloa, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, Carteles Unidos, Cartel del Noreste, Cartel del Golfo, and La Nueva Familia Michoacana were all given the designations of FTO and SDGT.
These respective designations were applied to the criminal organizations that were involved in the aforementioned activities.
The State Department is responsible for designating FTOs in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act, whereas the Treasury Department is in charge of designating SDGTs in accordance with Executive Order 13224.
FTOs are primarily concerned with organizations, and engaging in activities with such organizations might result in criminal consequences. SDGTs, on the other hand, concentrate their attention on terrorist organizations, individuals, and the financial entities that support them. sanctions and the confiscation of assets are the outcomes of SDGTs.
As a result of the news that leaked this week that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is flying MQ-9 Reaper drones over Mexico as part of President Trump’s efforts to modernize the war against multinational drug cartels, the designations have been made.
For the time being, the unarmed drones are only being used to carry out surveillance flights against the cartels.
However, it is possible for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to equip the drones and deploy them against foreign adversaries, as it has frequently done when combating Islamic militants in East Africa and the Middle East.
It is likely that the recognition of the cartels as terrorist organizations might pave the way for the utilization of drones in order to eliminate the most senior cartel executives and destroy manufacturing facilities.
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