The United States has designated a notorious drug-trafficking organisation in Colombia as a terrorist group. The US Treasury Department added the group, known as Clan del Golfo or Gulf Clan, to its list of Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs).
The designation came just hours after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order classifying the drug fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. The two moves are seen as a further ramping-up of the Trump administration's war on drugs which has also seen it carry out more than 20 lethal strikes on boats suspected to be carrying drugs in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
More than 90 people were killed in the strikes on the boats, which some legal experts say breach the law. Clan del Golfo is the latest Latin American criminal group to be added to the US Treasury's list of FTOs. The group has been engaging in criminal activities for decades, mainly trafficking cocaine from Colombia - the largest producer of the drug - to destinations in the US and Europe.
In a statement announcing its designation as an FTO, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the group was also behind terrorist attacks against public officials, law enforcement and military personnel, and civilians in Colombia. It is estimated to have thousands of members and is thought to be the largest cocaine-trafficking gang currently operating in Colombia.
This designation comes amid high tension in the region, with Trump repeatedly warning that strikes on land against narco-terrorists could soon follow those against alleged drug vessels at sea. The executive order classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction indicates a dual approach to combating narcotics trafficking. However, the implications of these actions may hinder peace initiatives recently established by Colombian President Gustavo Petro's government.
The designation came just hours after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order classifying the drug fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. The two moves are seen as a further ramping-up of the Trump administration's war on drugs which has also seen it carry out more than 20 lethal strikes on boats suspected to be carrying drugs in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
More than 90 people were killed in the strikes on the boats, which some legal experts say breach the law. Clan del Golfo is the latest Latin American criminal group to be added to the US Treasury's list of FTOs. The group has been engaging in criminal activities for decades, mainly trafficking cocaine from Colombia - the largest producer of the drug - to destinations in the US and Europe.
In a statement announcing its designation as an FTO, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the group was also behind terrorist attacks against public officials, law enforcement and military personnel, and civilians in Colombia. It is estimated to have thousands of members and is thought to be the largest cocaine-trafficking gang currently operating in Colombia.
This designation comes amid high tension in the region, with Trump repeatedly warning that strikes on land against narco-terrorists could soon follow those against alleged drug vessels at sea. The executive order classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction indicates a dual approach to combating narcotics trafficking. However, the implications of these actions may hinder peace initiatives recently established by Colombian President Gustavo Petro's government.
