Cartels Designated as Terrorist Organizations
Back in February 2025, Executive Order 14157, designated cartels and other organizations as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists. It stated that, …the Cartels have engaged in a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere that has not only destabilized countries with significant importance for our national interests but also flooded the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals and vicious gangs…Cartels functionally control…nearly all illegal traffic across the southern border of the United States. In certain portions of Mexico, they function as quasi-governmental entities, controlling nearly all aspects of society.
This Executive Order fundamentally changed how our government can respond to the Cartels and any associated activities. This is primarily the reason behind the recent actions we’ve seen taking place in Venezuela. This may also have a direct impact on your institution’s AML/CFT program as a whole and your AML/CFT risk profile.
Kevin explains more in the video.
Published 2026/01/19
Kevin Edwards
Kevin brings years of experience and a unique perspective on regulatory matters to our clients. A self-proclaimed geek and accredited CRCM, Kevin is also a recovering attorney with experience as in-house counsel for a large regional bank and one of the leading national title insurance providers. For reasons unknown, Kevin decided to leave the safety and serenity of his desk job to seek fortune and glory as a wandering adventurer. Like a bank compliance version of Kwai Chang Caine, The Man with No Name or Don Quixote, he now travels the land seeking to help those in need and righting compliance wrongs, wherever he may find them. Kevin lives in Sioux Falls with his two children, who are surprisingly normal after having endured their father’s vivid imagination for their entire lives. He won’t admit to having any hobbies, because apparently “Regulations never sleep.” (While he does say this in his Batman voice, we’re pretty sure he’s joking.) From the looks of his Facebook page, he likes the outdoors and spending time with his large extended family (who seem like relatively normal people).