BUENOS AIRES, March 26 (Reuters) - Argentina has designated the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as a terrorist organization, the office of President Javier Milei announced on Thursday, a move that aligns the South American country more closely to the policy of ally the United States.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico's most powerful and violent criminal groups, has been tied to large‑scale fentanyl trafficking, extortion and attacks on Mexican security forces. In February, the network's leader Nemesio Oseguera, or "El Mencho," was killed in a surprise operation by the Mexican army, backed by intelligence support from the U.S.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump last year labeled CJNG a foreign terrorist organization as part of a broader effort to target major Mexican cartels. Argentina, under Milei, has also designated Hamas and Iran's Quds Force as terrorist organizations.
The Argentine government said the CJNG decision was based on official reports documenting the cartel's "illicit transnational activities" and links to other terrorist groups.
The designation enables financial sanctions and operational restrictions intended to limit the cartel's ability to operate in the country.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has been under mounting pressure from Washington to intensify her offensive against drug cartels. Mexico has long resisted labeling its domestic criminal organizations as terrorists, arguing the cartels are not motivated by political ends like others on the terror list, but by profit.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Spokespeople for Mexico's foreign ministry and for Sheinbaum did not immediately have a comment.
(Reporting by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; additional reporting by Cassandra Garrison in Buenos Aires and Simon Lewis in Washington; Editing by Lucinda Elliott and Bill Berkrot)
