US Justice Secretary Jeff Sessions said on Monday he had classified five groups, including the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and the US-based M-13 gang, as cross-border crime groups.
He said the groups would face tougher judicial investigations and procedures.
Sessions confirmed that the other groups were Sinaloa Mexicana, Colombian Golvo and Mexican Malisconoiva Generezion, vowing to launch a new special task force.
A special team of "experienced prosecutors in the fields of international drug smuggling, terrorism, organized crime and money laundering" will investigate individuals and networks that support Hezbollah, he said.
Hezbollah was out of the list of the justice minister, who was focusing on groups related to Latin America, but said: "With the formation of this new task force, our efforts will be better targeted and more effective than before."
He pointed out that within 90 days, members of the task force would make special recommendations "to try these groups and finally to remove them from our streets."
