US designates Colombia's largest drug-trafficking gang as terrorists

Designates Clan del Golfo as a foreign terrorist organization, specially designated global terrorists

The United States said Tuesday it was designating Colombia's largest drug-trafficking gang, Clan del Golfo, as terrorists, just as the group engaged in talks with the country's leftist government.

The move comes as President Donald Trump's administration controversially carries out strikes at sea against purported drug traffickers on boats around Venezuela.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States was designating Clan del Golfo as a foreign terrorist organization and specially designated global terrorists -- making any US support for them a crime.

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"The United States will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation and stop the campaigns of violence and terror committed by international cartels and transnational criminal organizations," Rubio said in a statement.

"We are committed to denying funding and resources to these terrorists."

The Clan del Golfo has origins in right-wing paramilitary organizations. It is responsible for shipping hundreds of tons of cocaine annually to the United States and Europe, according to Colombian military intelligence.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, the US ally's first leftist leader, has sought to negotiate with armed groups since his election in 2022.

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His government and Clan del Golfo held new talks earlier this month in Qatar in which they agreed to further negotiations.

The Trump administration has sought to weaken Petro, including by slapping US sanctions on him personally. Rubio has publicly called Petro a "lunatic."

Petro earlier this year became a rare foreign leader to defy Trump openly on his key goal of deporting migrants.