Washington classifies Colombia's Clan del Golfo cartel as terrorist group
The State Department's decision was announced months after the U.S. military was deployed in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific to attack suspected drug trafficking vessels.
A Colombian soldier stands next to graffiti of the Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (AGC) or Clan del Golfo.
(AFP) Washington announced Tuesday that it is designating the Clan del Golfo cartel as a terrorist organization. It is the largest drug trafficking cartel in Colombia, with which the leftist government under President Gustavo Petro is holding talks for possible disarmament.
The State Department's decision was announced months after the U.S. military was deployed in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific to attack suspected drug trafficking vessels. Those operations have left at least 95 dead, according to official figures.
The Colombian government and Clan del Golfo agreed on Dec. 5 in Qatar to continue talks to achieve the disarmament of this paramilitary group and bring peace to the territories it controls.
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No funding or resources to terrorists
"The United States will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation and stop the campaigns of violence and terror committed by international cartels and transnational criminal organizations," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"We are committed to denying funding and resources to these terrorists," he added.
The group is responsible for trafficking tons of cocaine to the United States and Europe each year, according to Colombian military intelligence.
Since he began his term in office in 2022, Petro has been trying to negotiate the disarmament of the various armed groups still operating in Colombia following the historic peace pact with the defunct FARC guerrillas in 2016.
The cartel's designation as a terrorist group comes amid strong political tensions between the Trump administration, the U.S. president himself and the head of the Colombian government.
What is Clan del Golfo?
The cartel considers itself a political group and claims to be treated similarly to guerrillas and paramilitaries. It currently has between 6,000 and 7,000 members, according to the government.
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