U.S. Expands Terrorist Designation to Include Juárez and Los Viagras Cartels

The U.S. government has announced the designation of two more Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. These include the Juárez Cartel, which operates near the Texas border, and Los Viagras, located in Michoacán. The designation was made public through the Federal Register.

The move brings the total to eight Mexican criminal organizations now labeled as terrorist groups. Notable among them are the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. This initiative began under President Trump in early 2025, aiming to better equip U.S. authorities in their fight against these groups.

The U.S. has also applied the terrorist label to gangs in countries such as Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, and El Salvador. Since September of the previous year, military actions targeting suspected drug trafficking activities in Latin American waters have resulted in over 200 fatalities.

Both the Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras have engaged in or pose significant risks of terrorist acts that threaten U.S. nationals or the country’s security and policies, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

This development adds pressure on Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration. The pressure follows the indictment of several officials related to the Sinaloa Cartel and controversies surrounding U.S. operations within Mexico.

Pressure on the Texas Border

The Juárez Cartel is one of Mexico’s oldest trafficking organizations. It controls a crossing point at Ciudad Juárez, opposite El Paso, Texas.

Founded by Amado Carrillo Fuentes, known for smuggling drugs via aircraft in the 1990s, the cartel has turned drug trafficking into a lucrative business. Despite numerous arrests, it retains control over smuggling operations into the U.S.

The Juárez Cartel was accused of the brutal 2019 murders of nine Americans from a Mormon community. These killings led to a federal lawsuit against the cartel.

Mexican analyst David Saucedo pointed out that the designation will allow the U.S. to take more substantial actions at the border, where groups like the Gulf Cartel and the Northeast Cartel have already been labeled as terrorists.

Focus on Michoacán

Los Viagras, a cartel based in Michoacán, joins two other local criminal groups already deemed terrorist organizations. The group emerged after successful efforts by farmers to expel older cartels around 2013-2014.

Led by Nicolás Sierra Santana, also known as “El Gordo,” the group is involved in drug trafficking. Santana faces drug conspiracy charges and the U.S. offers a $5 million reward for his capture.

Besides trafficking, Los Viagras have engaged in extortion and the production of synthetic drugs. They leverage these activities for regional control. In 2024, the cartel infamously established “narco-antennas” — internet setups contingent on locals paying for access under threat of violence.