Argentina designates foreign cartels and guerrilla groups as terrorist organizations

The Argentine government designated five major Latin American transnational criminal and insurgent organizations as terrorist entities Thursday, issuing an official resolution aimed at crippling their regional operations and financial networks.

The measure, announced by the Office of President Javier Milei, formally places Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and La Nueva Familia Michoacana, Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) and FARC-EP dissidents, and Ecuador’s Los Tiguerones onto Argentina's Public Registry of Persons and Entities Linked to Acts of Terrorism and Their Financing (RePET).

According to the executive decree, the national security measure was formulated through joint coordination between Argentina's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Security, Ministry of Justice and the State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE).

“The operational capacity, regional geographic expansion, and illicit diversification of these groups pose direct threats to the lives, property, and assets of our citizens,” the presidency said in an official statement, citing classified intelligence assessments.

The government outlined specific national security grounds for each designated entity.

The Sinaloa Cartel, from Mexico, was cited as a massive transnational syndicate driving global narcotics smuggling, human trafficking and extortion. The executive order aligns Argentina’s stance with international allies including the United States, which previously designated the cartel.

La Nueva Familia Michoacana, also from Mexico, was highlighted for its expansion into international drug trafficking and illegal mining, as well as its growing influence across South American illicit supply chains.

Los Tiguerones, from Ecuador, was identified as a high-violence cartel responsible for contract killings and maritime drug trafficking. The group splintered from Los Choneros in 2020 alongside Los Chone Killers, an entity Argentina added to the RePET registry in August.

The ELN and FARC-EP dissidents from Colombia were described as far-left guerrilla insurgencies rooted in armed struggle whose regional recruitment, logistics and weapons trafficking networks extend well beyond Colombia’s borders to threaten Argentine stability.

By adding the organizations to the RePET registry, Argentine law enforcement and intelligence agencies gain expanded administrative powers to freeze assets, disrupt cross-border financing and heighten surveillance on suspected operational cells.

The move also enables direct, real-time intelligence sharing between SIDE and international counter-terrorism partners to target the money laundering pipelines fueling regional drug trade.