Department of State designates Juarez Cartel and Los Viagras as FTOs and SDGTs

The U.S. Department of State designated the Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras (Mexico) as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists under Executive Order 13224 for conducting narco-terrorism, including attacks on Americans, Mexican security forces, and civilians. The designations cite the cartels' violent narcotics trafficking operations, including the 2019 Sonora massacre of nine U.S. citizens by La Línea, the Juárez Cartel's dominant faction, and take effect upon publication in the Federal Register.