Key facts
- The U.S. designated the Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras as foreign terrorist organizations.
- The designations were published on Thursday.
- These groups join six other Mexican criminal organizations previously designated as terrorist groups.
- The measure allows U.S. authorities to take more aggressive action against the groups and their alleged supporters.
- The Juárez Cartel controls a key border crossing in Ciudad Juárez.
- Los Viagras leader Nicolás Sierra Santana faces U.S. drug trafficking charges, with a $5 million reward offered for his capture.
The U.S. government has officially designated two additional Mexican cartels, the Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras, as foreign terrorist organizations. This move, published in the Federal Register on Thursday, places them alongside six other Mexican criminal groups previously subjected to this designation. The policy, initiated by President Donald Trump in February 2025, aims to enable more aggressive U.S. actions against these organizations and any perceived enablers.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that both designated groups have either committed terrorist acts or pose a significant risk to U.S. nationals, national security, foreign policy, or the economy. The Juárez Cartel, one of Mexico's long-standing drug trafficking organizations, controls a critical border crossing point in Ciudad Juárez, directly opposite El Paso, Texas. Its historical operations, led by figures like Amado Carrillo Fuentes, involved extensive drug smuggling into the U.S.
Los Viagras, a criminal group operating in Michoacán, is led by Nicolás Sierra Santana, who faces a drug trafficking conspiracy indictment in the U.S. The State Department has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. This group reportedly consolidates regional control through extortion and is involved in producing synthetic drugs trafficked into the United States. The designation is seen by analysts as a key step for the U.S. to take more decisive action along the border, particularly in areas where other groups have already been designated.