Two new organizations join 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. Photo by Graeme Sloan/UPI | License Photo
July 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Treasury Department officially designated Mexico's Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras as transnational terrorist organizations while maintaining existing sanctions against both groups for drug trafficking.
The measure, published in the Federal Register, elevates the legal status of both organizations, allowing U.S. authorities to impose more aggressive financial sanctions and block funding for their operations.
It also paves 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.
