DEA administrator says criminals and government authorities ‘are one and the same’
The U.S. Treasury Department has formally designated Mexico’s Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras as transnational terrorist organizations, according to a measure published in the Federal Register on Thursday. The designations elevate the legal status of both groups, enabling U.S. authorities to impose more aggressive financial sanctions and block funding for their operations. They also pave the way for harsher criminal penalties in U.S. courts for cartel members and their business associates.
The two organizations join six other Mexican cartels previously designated as terrorist organizations under President Donald Trump’s directive as part of a strategy to intensify the fight against drug trafficking and the flow of fentanyl into the United States. Trump has increased pressure on Mexico and the broader region using tariff threats, expanded financial sanctions, and the designation of criminal organizations as terrorist groups.
The Juárez Cartel, founded in the 1970s, operates from the border city of Ciudad Juárez in the state of Chihuahua. According to the Treasury Department’s investigation, the cartel controls trafficking routes along the Texas and New Mexico border, maintains a presence in U.S. prisons, and controls drug trafficking routes through cities including El Paso.
Los Viagras, a criminal organization based primarily in the western state of Michoacán, is accused of trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine produced in Mexico and transported into the United States. The designation extends existing U.S. sanctions against both groups.
DEA Administrator Terrance Cole, speaking Tuesday at the inaugural Fentanyl-Free America Summit in Florida, described a “deadly connection” between drug cartel networks and the Mexican government. Cole said that criminals and government authorities “are one and the same” or “inseparable.” He warned that the DEA is deploying “the full force” of the agency to dismantle these networks by prioritizing investigations targeting chemical suppliers, distributors, money launderers, and any public officials who benefit from drug trafficking. Cole said the DEA now considers institutional complicity in Mexico its top enforcement priority and concluded that the United States “is watching and fighting back.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected Cole’s allegations, describing them as politically motivated statements unsupported by evidence. She defended her administration’s strategy and results in combating drug trafficking.