Toronto, Canada (EFE).- Canada announced the designation of seven Latin American criminal organizations as terrorist groups, five Mexican drug cartels, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, and El Salvador’s MS-13.
On Thursday, Canada’s Public Safety Minister David McGuinty made the announcement in Ottawa, a day after United States President Donald Trump’s istration added Tren de Aragua, MS-13, the Sinaloa, Jalisco Nueva Generación, Noroeste, Gulf, Nueva Familia Michoacana and Unidos cartels to its list of terrorist groups.
Canada included the same cartels, except for the Noroeste cartel.
In addition to the seven Latin American criminal organizations, Canada considers 86 groups to be terrorists, including Spain’s ETA, Peru’s Sendero Luminoso, the US Proud Boys, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Palestine’s Hamas, and the United Kingdom’s Aryan Strikeforce.
On Thursday, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum announced two constitutional reforms to protect the country from foreign interference in response to Trump’s decision to declare drug cartels terrorists.
McGuinty said at a news conference that “transnational criminal organizations, including cartels, play a leading role in the production and distribution of fentanyl throughout Canada,” so the government had decided to declare them terrorist groups to give law enforcement “every resource available.”
McGuinty denied it was an action coordinated with the US government.
“Canada is a sovereign, independent country. The decision to include (criminal organizations) is sovereign and independent. The reason is to keep our communities safe,” the Canadian minister said.
Listing the cartels as terrorist organizations will freeze the assets and property of these groups in Canada and prevent Canadian citizens or residents from doing business with them. EFE
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