US classifies Colombian cartel as terrorist, one day after declaring fentanyl a ‘weapon of mass destruction’

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In the memo, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Gulf Clan is mentioned as a “violent and powerful criminal organization, with thousands of members”, whose main source of financing is cocaine trafficking. The department also accuses the cartel, which appeared at the beginning of the century, of being responsible for “terrorist attacks against civil servants, law enforcement agents, soldiers and civilians in Colombia”.

Since the beginning of the year, more and more criminal groups involved in drug trafficking and the export of banned substances to the United States have been placed on the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations, mainly in Mexico, but also in Venezuela, Haiti, the United States and Colombia. And the tone coming from Washington suggests new additions are on the way.

“The United States will continue to use every tool available to protect our nation and end campaigns of violence and terror committed by international cartels and transnational criminal organizations,” the State Department statement said. “We are committed to denying all funding and resources to these terrorists. »

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After the first designations, the governments of the region – starting with Mexico – stressed that this measure would serve to legitimize possible American military actions on their territories, under the pretext of attacks against “narcoterrorists”. In February, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the United States should not use the anti-trafficking map “as an opportunity to invade our sovereignty.”

Since mid-August, the Americans have maintained the largest military presence in Latin America in decades, under the pretext of fighting cartels, including 15,000 troops, fighter jets and the Navy’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford. Over the next few months, 25 boats accused of being involved in drug trafficking were bombed, killing 95 people. The latest attack took place on Monday, when three boats were shot down by the United States off the Pacific coast, leaving eight confirmed dead.

To date, no evidence has been presented that the boats were associated with drug trafficking, and the Trump administration found itself in a difficult situation after the local press revealed an alleged order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “leave no survivors” in the attacks.

Regional governments have also been threatened. In Venezuela, where President Nicolás Maduro is accused of being the head of one of the organizations on the State Department’s list, the Cartel de los Soles, the Americans have intensified their reconnaissance flights near the coast and carried out maneuvers in Trinidad and Tobago, 11 km from the country.

Trump also authorized classified intelligence operations on Venezuelan soil and repeatedly suggested he would launch ground operations “very soon.” In Caracas, the government views the mobilization as planning an invasion to overthrow the regime and has intensified its military defense efforts, as well as its anti-Washington propaganda. Earlier this month, the US leader suggested that any drug-producing country could be attacked, and cited Colombia, where President Gustavo Petro was sanctioned for criticizing the White House.

• Analysis: Focus on attacks on shipwrecked people in the Caribbean strengthens the Trump administration by overshadowing the debate on the likely illegality of the operations against the boats

The American “war on drugs” version 2025 has also recycled other terms well known to the international community, intrinsically linked to American military interventions abroad, with less than positive memories.

On Monday, Trump designated fentanyl, a powerful synthetic drug, as a “weapon of mass destruction,” just like nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, or devices used in attacks.

The substance is responsible for a dramatic public health crisis in the country, and was responsible for 48,000 overdose deaths in 2024 and 76,000 in 2023. Last year, while running for another term in the White House, the fight against fentanyl was a central theme of Trump’s campaign.

Returning to power, he included the cartels on his list of terrorist organizations and imposed customs duties on China – the main source of products used to manufacture the drug –, Mexico – the main source of fentanyl – and Canada – the source of less than 1% of seizures by American authorities. South American criminal organizations’ main “product” is cocaine, not fentanyl, although production in Central America is increasing.

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Like cartel designations, the term “weapon of mass destruction,” in the regional context, has raised some concerns. In the past, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s alleged weapons justified an invasion that began in 2003 and, in addition to failing to find the weapons, created chaos that continues to this day in the Middle East. In Libya, dictator Muammar Gaddafi agreed in 2003 to eliminate his weapons of mass destruction program in exchange for good relations with the West, but was overthrown (with Western support) in 2011, in the midst of the Arab Spring.

Commenting on the White House’s decision to place fentanyl on the same list as sarin gas or enriched uranium, Sheinbaum once again defended Mexican sovereignty.