Three well-known Guatemalan criminal groups, designated as foreign terrorist organizations

On Friday, the Trump administration added three dangerous Guatemalan criminal groups to the list of foreign terrorist organizations (FTO).

In a statement, the Department of State (DOS) announced the inclusion of the Lorenzana, Huistas and Mendoza to the list because of their "deep ties" to Mexican cartels.

"These three Guatemala-based groups have deep ties with Mexican cartels, helping to move and export illicit drugs to fund terrorism and criminal activity," the DOS said.

Regarding the Lorenzanas, the department stated that they are "one of Guatemala’s most powerful drug trafficking clans." Its members are responsible for "numerous acts of violence against civilians, government officials, and military forces in Guatemala."

For more than a year, U.S. authorities have been searching for the leader of the Lorenzana family: Haroldo Waldemar Lorenzana Terraza. Known as Haroldito, the Trump administration is offering a reward of $5 million for information leading to his whereabouts so that he can be arrested and convicted of his crimes.

Specifically, Lorenzana Terraza is wanted for his ties to various Mexican criminal organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel, for which he provides support in drug trafficking.

Several members of the Lorenzana clan (including Lorenzana Terraza's grandfather and former leader of the group, Waldemar Lorenzana Lima) have already been prosecuted in the United States and are serving sentences in federal prisons.

Regarding the Huistas and the Mendozas, the DOS stated that they are two criminal organizations that provide "material support to U.S.-designated Mexican cartels."

"The Trump Administration will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation by keeping illicit drugs off our streets and disrupting the revenue streams funding violent narcoterrorists. We will not stand by while these foreign terrorist organizations corrupt Guatemala’s institutions," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Since his return to the White House, President Donald Trump has added numerous criminal groups to the FTO list. The first to be added were the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), the Tren de Aragua, the Gulf Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), and the Sinaloa Cartel, among others.