US Designates Colombia's Clan del Golfo a Terrorist Group, Freezing Assets
Washington, Tuesday, 16 December 2025.
This administrative action freezes assets and criminalizes support for Colombia’s largest cartel, creating immediate compliance risks for businesses and complicating the group’s active peace negotiations in Qatar.
New Sanctions Target Colombia’s Largest Criminal Network
The U.S. government formalized its stance against Colombia’s most powerful criminal syndicate on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. The Treasury Department posted a notice designating the Clan del Golfo as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), following an announcement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio [1][5]. This designation, which also categorizes the group as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), triggers a comprehensive freeze of any U.S.-based assets tied to the cartel and criminalizes the provision of material support to its operations [3][5]. Rubio described the organization as “violent and powerful,” emphasizing that the administration is committed to denying the group the funding and resources it utilizes to conduct campaigns of violence [2][5].
Diplomatic Friction and Peace Talks
The timing of this designation introduces a complex variable into Colombia’s domestic politics. The Clan del Golfo, which also identifies as the Gaitanist Army of Colombia (EGC), is currently engaged in peace negotiations with the administration of Colombian President Gustavo Petro [1][3]. These talks, which began mid-September in Doha, Qatar, are being mediated by Qatar, Spain, Norway, and Switzerland [5]. While the Petro government seeks to make “irreversible” progress in these negotiations before the 2026 political transition, the U.S. designation places strict legal barriers on any concessions or financial integrations that might arise from such a peace deal [1].
Operational Scale and Market Dominance
The financial stakes of this designation are substantial given the Clan del Golfo’s market dominance. Intelligence estimates indicate the group commands a force of approximately 9,000 armed members [3][5]. It is responsible for nearly half of Colombia’s drug exports, shipping hundreds of tons of cocaine annually to markets in the United States and Europe [2][3]. Beyond narcotics, the group has diversified its revenue streams into illegal mining and migrant trafficking, further embedding itself into the regional economy [3][5].