U.S. Targets Latin American Cartels | Tulsa News

The Trump administration has dramatically expanded its list of foreign terrorist organizations to include 21 major criminal groups across Latin America and the Caribbean, marking a historic shift from targeting politically motivated groups to crushing financially driven cartels and gangs. This aggressive strategy, launched in early 2025, has already led to high-stakes operations—including the capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, deadly attacks on drug vessels, and joint military actions with nations like Guatemala and Argentina. Mexico, home to eight designated groups, faces intense U.S. pressure to avoid unilateral moves, especially after indictments of top officials—though the policy shows contradictions, such as pardoning former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, later convicted for aiding the Sinaloa Cartel. The list now includes notorious outfits like Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels, Central American street gangs rooted in LA, Colombian trafficking clans, Venezuelan migrant smugglers, Brazilian armed factions, and Haitian arms-trafficking networks—all reflecting a new era of U.S. warfare against transnational crime in the Americas. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/2ee0de722cdc8055