Canada lists drug cartels as terror organizations

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) - Canada has listed seven criminal organizations, including drug cartels, as terror entities, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty announced Thursday.

The designation was included in a promise to clamp down on fentanyl and other drugs entering the US from Canada. The promise earned a 30-day reprieve, until at least March 4, from President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs on exports from Canada into the US.

The terror listings give new tools to law enforcement to combat cartels and “follow the money” to root out how the cartels are laundering their funds, said McGuinty.

“Today we are going after the money,” he said. “We are moving aggressively, using every tool in our toolbox, to take the profit out of drug trafficking.

“To rid Canada of this scourge, our government will ensure law enforcement has every tool available to dismantle and disrupt the operations of these organizations in our communities.”

The organizations now listed as terror groups are based in various countries, including Mexico, Venezuela and El Salvador.

They are the Sinaloa Cartel, MS-13, the Gulf Cartel, the United Cartels, the Michoacan Family, the Jalisco Cartel New Generation and TdA.

Under the terror designation, any actions with the groups are illegal and prohibits Canadians, including those living abroad, from dealing with them.​​​​​​​

The US took similar action Wednesday but added another cartel to the list -- the Cartel del Noreste.

McGuinty said Canada did its investigations and listings independent of the US.