The U.S. State Department designated two Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations on July 16, following the Trump administration’s crackdown on narco-terrorists.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the designation of the Juárez cartel and Los Viagras as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists in a July 16 statement. The State Department noted that the designations will prevent the cartels from accessing resources needed to carry out attacks that harm Americans.
The designation of the Juárez cartel and Los Viagras as foreign terrorist groups came after the Trump administration previously announced that multiple international cartels would be designated as foreign terrorist organizations. U.S. President Donald Trump has also targeted narcotics trafficking with numerous military operations and sanctioned cartel leaders.
In the July 16 announcement, the State Department described the Juárez cartel and Los Viagras as “violent narco-terrorist cartels.” The Trump administration stated that the two cartels have carried out numerous attacks against Americans, Mexican security forces, and civilians.
The State Department noted that the Juárez cartel was responsible for the 2019 massacre of nine U.S. citizens, including six children and three adults, in Sonora, Mexico. It stated that the nine victims were killed by hitmen from La Línea, a dominant faction in the Juárez cartel.
Announcing the new designations of the two Mexican cartels, the State Department said the Trump administration would use “all available tools” to disrupt funding for narco-terrorists and to keep “poison” off U.S. streets.
“Today’s action taken by the State Department further demonstrates that the Trump Administration continues to deliver on its promises to the American people to dismantle narco-terrorist cartels, make American communities safer, and secure the border,” it stated.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the State Department for comment.
Prior to the July 16 designations, six other Mexican criminal organizations had been designated as terrorist groups by the United States, including the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco New Generation cartel.
The Trump administration first designated international cartels in Latin American countries as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists in February 2025. Since that time, the administration has applied the designation to cartels in Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Venezuela.
Some of the first cartels to be designated as terrorist organizations during the second Trump administration were Tren de Aragua, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Cártel de Sinaloa, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, Cártel del Noreste, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, Cártel de Golfo, and Cárteles Unidos.
Los Viagras is based in Mexico’s western state of Michoacan. Two other cartels, La Nueva Familia Michoacana and Cárteles Unidos, also operate out of Michoacan.
The Department of Justice charged Nicolás Sierra Santana, leader of Los Viagras, with conspiracy to traffic drugs in June 2025. In August 2025, the State Department offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the cartel leader.
The Juárez cartel is one of the oldest drug trafficking organizations in Mexico. It has, for decades, controlled Ciudad Juárez, a key crossing point along the U.S.–Mexico border across from El Paso, Texas.
The State Department said the designation of the Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras as foreign terrorist groups will deny the cartels any access to the U.S. financial system. The cartels will also have any property blocked in the United States and will not be able to engage in transactions with U.S. citizens. The State Department said that the designations could also aid future law enforcement actions.
Trump previously urged Mexico and other Latin American countries to take steps to reduce drug trafficking. The president has also repeatedly offered to send U.S. troops to Mexico. However, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has declined Trump’s offers.
“The United States is not going to come to Mexico with the military. We cooperate, we collaborate, but there is not going to be an invasion,” Sheinbaum said in August 2025.
The Trump administration previously carried out dozens of strikes on drug trafficking vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing hundreds of people who U.S. authorities said were drug traffickers engaging in narco-trafficking operations.
