Argentina designated five Latin American criminal and guerrilla groups as terrorist organizations on Thursday, aligning its security apparatus with United States policy under President Javier Milei’s administration. The measure, published in the official gazette, targets transnational cartels and insurgent factions linked to drug trafficking and contract killings.
Argentina Targets Sinaloa and FARC in New Security Decree
The government’s new designations feature Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, described by officials as a transnational organization involved in drug trafficking and kidnapping for ransom. The decree also names Mexico’s Nueva Familia Michoacana cartel and Ecuador’s Los Tiguerones gang, which authorities characterized as one of the region’s most violent criminal groups tied to contract killings.
In addition to cartels, the order targets two Colombian groups: the National Liberation Army, or ELN, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army, or FARC-EP. The latter name is used by dissident factions that rejected a peace agreement signed a decade ago. Milei’s office stated Wednesday night that the groups are rooted in Marxist-Leninist ideology and armed revolution.
The Associated Press reported that the move arrives a month after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration expanded its own list of Latin American criminal groups designated as foreign terrorist organizations to 21. All five entities targeted by Buenos Aires already appear on the U.S. list.
Washington Expands Security Funding in Buenos Aires
Two weeks prior to the decree, Milei’s administration announced the establishment of a regional unit of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in Argentina.
The U.S. government approved $13.35 million to bolster efforts against drug trafficking and organized crime. Argentina previously added Venezuela’s Cartel of the Suns, Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood to its national registry of individuals and entities linked to terrorism and its financing.
Regional Security Alignment Across Latin America
Argentina’s decree mirrors broader policy shifts across the region as neighboring countries adopt security policies similar to those of the United States. Ecuador designated 22 organized crime groups as terrorist organizations in January 2024 after declaring an internal armed conflict.
Guatemala’s Congress amended several laws in October 2025 to classify the Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs as transnational criminal and terrorist organizations, allowing for longer prison sentences. The Trump administration previously designated both gangs as terrorist organizations.
When Argentina Published Terrorist Designations and US Funding Details?
When did Argentina publish the new terrorist designations?
The Milei government published the decree on Thursday in the official gazette, following an announcement released Wednesday night.
How much funding did the United States provide for the regional narcotics unit?
Washington approved $13.35 million to strengthen efforts against drug trafficking and organized crime through a regional unit of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in Argentina.
Which Colombian insurgent factions are included in the decree?
The decree targets the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the FARC-EP, which consists of dissident factions that rejected a peace agreement signed a decade ago.
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