The U.S. State Department has officially designated Colombia’s Clan del Golfo drug cartel as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), citing the group’s role in large-scale drug trafficking and sustained violent activities.
According to the department, Clan del Golfo operates with thousands of members and finances its operations largely through cocaine trafficking. U.S. officials state that the organization has carried out targeted attacks against Colombian public officials, law enforcement personnel, military members, 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 State Department declared in its announcement.
The designation aims to restrict Clan del Golfo’s access to funding, weapons, and logistical support by cutting off its ties to U.S. financial systems and prohibiting Americans from providing material assistance. Clan del Golfo has long been considered one of Colombia’s most influential criminal organizations, with control over major cocaine trafficking routes and a history of armed confrontations with the Colombian state.
This move reflects an expanding U.S. strategy to treat transnational criminal networks as national security threats rather than solely law enforcement challenges. Earlier this year, the State Department designated other groups, including Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua gang and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, as foreign terrorist organizations.
The decision has sparked diplomatic concerns in Mexico, where officials warned U.S. authorities that such actions could infringe on Mexican sovereignty. U.S. officials maintain that these designations provide critical legal and financial tools to disrupt cartel operations linked to drug trafficking, human smuggling, and violence affecting the United States and its allies. Additionally, the government has signaled plans to designate foreign-based groups associated with Antifa ideology as terrorist organizations, signaling a broadening of the policy scope beyond traditional extremist groups.
