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The United States government is formally designating eight Latin American organized crime groups<\/a><\/span> that also operate in the U.S. to be \u201cforeign terrorist organizations.\u201d They are involved in drug trafficking, migrant smuggling and extend their territory through violence.<\/p>\n The Trump administration is applying a \u201cterrorist\u201d designation that\u2019s normally reserved for groups like the Islamic State group or al-Qaida that use violence for political ends \u2014 not for money-focused crime rings such as the Latin American cartels. The aim is to increase pressure on the groups and anyone who the U.S. sees as aiding them. The designation will be published in Thursday\u2019s edition of the Federal Register, according to a notice Wednesday.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look at the eight Latin American drug cartels labeled as foreign terrorist organizations:<\/p>\n Sinaloa Cartel \u2014 Mexico<\/strong><\/p>\n The Sinaloa Cartel, through various incarnations, is Mexico\u2019s oldest criminal group \u2013 dating to the 1970s. It is a criminal conglomerate, an umbrella of sorts for various groups, based in the mountains of the state by the same name in northwest Mexico. It holds firm control of the western portion of the U.S.-Mexico border.<\/p>\n Sinaloa moves all sorts of drugs across continents using boats, planes, migrants and cross-border tunnels. It\u2019s considered the most corrupting criminal organization in Mexico. A former security chief was convicted of helping them<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n One of their most lucrative businesses in recent years has been the production of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, blamed for tens of thousands of overdose deaths each year in the U.S. Sinaloa imports the precursor chemicals from China, produces the drug and smuggles it across the border.<\/p>\n The arrest of Sinaloa\u2019s eldest leader, Ismael \u201cEl Mayo\u201d Zambada<\/a><\/span> in July set off months of internal jockeying for power between Zambada loyalists and sons of the cartel\u2019s best known former leader Joaqu\u00edn \u201cEl Chapo\u201d Guzm\u00e1n, already serving a life sentence in the U.S<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Jalisco New Generation Cartel \u2014 Mexico<\/strong><\/p>\n The gruesome discovery of some thirty dismembered bodies dumped in the hotel zone of Veracruz in 2011 announced the arrival of the \u201cZeta Killers,\u201d who soon established themselves as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel<\/a><\/span>, a hyper-violent and fast-growing group that spread through sort of franchise agreements with local gangs.<\/p>\n Jalisco, named for a west-central Mexican state where it\u2019s based, has aggressively attacked Mexican authorities, including military helicopters, using explosive-dropping drones and improvised explosive devices<\/a><\/span>. It even attempted a spectacular assassination<\/a><\/span> of the then-Mexico City police chief \u2014 now Mexico\u2019s security director \u2014 in the heart of the capital.<\/p>\n Led by Nemesio \u201cEl Mencho\u201d Oseguera, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says Jalisco distributes tons of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl in all 50 states.<\/p>\n Gulf Cartel and Northeast Cartel \u2014 Mexico<\/strong><\/p>\n Both the Gulf Cartel and Northeast Cartel operate along the eastern end of the U.S.-Mexico border, moving drugs, immigrants, guns and money in what is the most direct route to the U.S. from Central and South America.<\/p>\n The Gulf Cartel has a long history in Mexico, but has fractured in recent years spurring frequent clashes between factions.<\/p>\n Its former leader, Osiel C\u00e1rdenas Guill\u00e9n (now imprisoned in Mexico after serving a sentence in the U.S.), recruited members of Mexico\u2019s military in the late 1990s to form a fearsome element known as the Zetas that eventually split and became their own drug trafficking organization.<\/p>\n The Northeast Cartel is a remnant of the Zetas.<\/p>\n The Northeast cartel<\/a><\/span> has retained a relatively small portion of what the Zetas once ruled through relentless violence. Their base is Nuevo Laredo, the busiest commercial port on the U.S.-Mexico border.<\/p>\n La Nueva Familia Michoacana and United Cartels \u2014 Mexico<\/strong><\/p>\n These local organized crime groups, operating in west-central Mexico, produce synthetic drugs, but they are a concern to the U.S. because of something else: avocados<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Security analyst David Saucedo points out that the state of Michoacan exports $2.8 billion of avocados, a trade threatened by local criminal groups. U.S. inspectors working in Michoacan checking for pests have been threatened on multiple occasions<\/a><\/span> by these groups, which control production and, to an extent, the price of avocados through extortion and threats to growers.<\/p>\n Tren de Aragua \u2014 Venezuela<\/strong><\/p>\n This organized crime group emerged from a prison in central Venezuela<\/a><\/span> more than a decade ago. In recent years, it has spread from Chile to the United States, capitalizing on the exodus of some 8 million Venezuelans escaping their country\u2019s political and economic crises.<\/p>\n While its origins are in drug trafficking, its main businesses are migrant smuggling, human trafficking, sexual exploitation and forced labor. It\u2019s known for extreme violence \u2014 decapitations and burying victims alive \u2014 that has generated panic in countries across the hemisphere.<\/p>\n U.S. authorities say Tren de Aragua insinuated itself into criminal networks in South America, launders its proceeds through crypto currencies and now poses a threat in various U.S. cities<\/a><\/span>. Trump and his allies have seized on the gang\u2019s presence and made it the face of the alleged threat posed by undocumented immigrants.<\/p>\n Mara Salvatrucha \u2014 El Salvador<\/strong><\/p>\n Also known as MS-13, this violent street gang was one that Trump seized on during his first presidency as the threat posed by immigration, much like he\u2019s using Tren de Aragua now. What he failed to mention was that it originated in Los Angeles<\/a><\/span> in the 1980s in communities made up largely of refugees from El Salvador\u2019s civil war and other immigrants, but grew to include many U.S. citizens in its ranks.<\/p>\n\n