The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the Los Mendoza Drug Trafficking Organization and the Los Huistas DTO on Friday, saying both Guatemalan groups provide material support to the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, which the United States designated as foreign terrorist organizations in February 2025. Treasury said the two groups control strategic trafficking corridors along Guatemala’s borders with Honduras and Mexico and facilitate the receipt, storage, protection and cross-border movement of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and other drugs destined for the United States and other markets, and Secretary Scott Bessent said the action exposes the ties between politically influential Guatemalan criminal organizations and Mexican foreign terrorist organizations.
The action was taken under Executive Order 14059 on illicit drugs and Executive Order 13224, as amended, on terrorism, and the State Department is concurrently designating a third Guatemalan group, Los Lorenzanas, as a foreign terrorist organization and specially designated global terrorist. As a result, all property of the designated groups in the United States or in the possession of US persons is blocked and must be reported to OFAC, and US persons are generally prohibited from transactions involving them.