October 9, 2025
Tariff & International Trade Resource
Foreign Terrorist Organization Designations Provide DOJ With New Civil Forfeiture Authorities and Opportunities
Civil forfeiture is becoming an increasingly important tool in the U.S. Justice Department’s (DOJ) campaign against Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs), Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), and other sanctioned parties. This development is part of the Trump Administration’s ongoing campaign against cartels and other TCOs, which most recently has involved the apparent determination that cartels are nonstate actors in a non-international armed conflict with the United States, military strikes on Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean Sea, and the designation of the Barrio 18 a/k/a 18th Street gang as an FTO.
