:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/K2BKNDUS3NADPOYOQKH4OXP3B4.jpg "US senators to introduce bill to designate Mexican cartels as terrorists")
United States Republican Senators announced this Wednesday that they will present a law Project which promotes the declaration of those drug cartels in Mexico as terrorist organizations Foreign companies (FTO).
According to lawmakers Lindsey Graham and John Neely Kennedythe objective of this proposal is to be able to activate more mechanisms against them, such as authorize the US military to intervene and fight drug groupseven in Mexican territory.
In a press conference, they underlined that the turning point which led them to accelerate this action was the fentanyl boomwhich in 2021 killed more than 71,000 Americans, according to the drug enforcement agency.
Graham even criticized the president’s administration Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as a “narco-terrorist state”, since, he claimed, this allows them to act with impunity.
“Fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction that comes from your country. You allow these groups to operate with impunity. We ask you to help us.”
According to their list, the cartels they are considering registering as “terrorists” are: Sinaloathat of Jalisco New Generation (CJNG), that of gulf, The Zetasthat of northeastthat of Juarezthat of Tijuanathat of Beltran Leyva there The Michoacan family.
“They terrorized Americans for decades. We will destroy their business model and their way of life because our national security depends on decisive action.”
Despite the fact that the federal government and members of Mexico’s Congress called this intention interference and a violation of the country’s sovereignty, Graham assured that “it is not a question of invading Mexico or bringing down planes”, but to destroy laboratories and drug networks. .
“We hope to do it in collaboration with the countries where they are, but if we have to do it by ourselves, we will do it alone”he warned.
Finally, he explained that his bill will be tabled “within a few days”.
It should be mentioned that the drug cartels are already sanctioned by the Democratic President’s government Joe Bidenbut does not exclude for the moment the possibility of going further and declaring them terrorist organizations.
This announcement was made a day after the government of Tamaulipas reported the death of two of the four US citizens who were kidnapped in the city of Matamoros.
“We will always do what is most effective and what is in our power to hold these groups accountable”said in this regard the spokesman of the State Department, net pricewhile the Attorney General, Merrick Garlandwarned that we must take care of the bilateral relationsbut he is also not opposed to the designation of cartels.
For her part, the spokesperson for The White HouseKarine Jean-Pierre, assured this Wednesday that designating the Mexican cartels as international terrorist organizations it would be uselesssince said designation he would not add new powers to combat them.
“The United States has powerful sanctions authorities specifically designated to deal with drug trafficking organizations and the individuals and entities who authorize them, so we have not been afraid to use them,” the spokeswoman added. .
Currently, Mexican drug cartels are already designated under two laws that impose similar sanctions on terrorist entities: first, the Drug Lords Act (Ley pillar) and the list of priority consolidated objectives (CPOTfor its acronym in English) of the United States Department of Justice.
Under the current anti-cartel designations according to these latest lists, the U.S. government already has the same capabilities against Mexican cartels that a terrorist designation would give them: freeze assets under its jurisdiction, prohibit entry into its territory and establish monetary penalties.