US Sanctions Three Guatemalan Gangs
The State Department designated Los Lorenzanas, Los Huistas, and Los Mendoza as terrorist entities linked to Mexican cartels.
By Liam O'Connor ·
Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared three Guatemalan criminal organizations to be terrorist groups on Friday. The designations target Los Lorenzanas, Los Huistas, and Los Mendoza for using drug trafficking proceeds to fund violence and crime.
The U.S. government asserts that all three groups maintain deep ties to Mexican drug cartels. Los Lorenzanas received a Foreign Terrorist Organization designation. Los Huistas and Los Mendoza were identified as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. These labels trigger U.S. sanctions, including freezes on assets held in American jurisdictions. The Foreign Terrorist Organization status adds a criminal liability for individuals who provide material support to the group.
Rubio stated that the administration will use all available tools to keep illicit drugs off U.S. streets and disrupt the revenue streams of narcoterrorists. He added that the government will not stand by while these organizations corrupt institutions in Guatemala.
Los Huistas operates in western Guatemala along the border with Mexico. Local authorities accuse the group of receiving support from politicians and businesspeople. Guatemala’s government links Los Huistas to both the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Last year, the Guatemalan government extradited one of the group’s leaders to the United States. That individual was on the U.S. list of the 100 most wanted men.
Los Lorenzanas is a family clan active in eastern and northern Guatemala near the Honduran border. Guatemalan officials say the group is allied with the Sinaloa Cartel and engaged in drug trafficking.
Los Mendoza is also a family clan with connections to Guatemalan politicians and government officials. Its operations focus on the borders with Honduras and Belize. The group is known for violent land grabs in the regions it controls.
