The United States has formally designated the Cartel de los Soles, an alleged drug-trafficking network involving high-ranking Venezuelan officials, as a foreign terrorist organization.
The designation, effective November 24, marks the latest escalation in Washington’s campaign against President Nicolás Maduro.
U.S. officials allege the group, also known as the Cartel of the Suns, is overseen by Maduro himself and works with the Tren de Aragua gang to traffic narcotics into the United States and Europe.
Venezuela’s government dismissed the move as a “ridiculous fabrication” intended to justify potential military intervention.
The name Cartel de los Soles emerged in the 1990s, derived from the sun insignias worn by Venezuelan generals, following investigations into military officers for drug-related crimes.
Analysts describe it not as a traditional hierarchical cartel but as a series of loosely connected cells embedded within the Venezuelan armed forces that facilitate corruption and trafficking.
Despite U.S. assertions of Maduro’s direct leadership, neither the DEA’s annual National Drug Threat Assessment nor the UN World Drug Report has ever classified the Cartel de los Soles as a formal drug-trafficking organization.
Venezuela denies the group’s existence and any presidential involvement.
The foreign terrorist organization label criminalizes material support, bars representatives from entering the U.S., and authorizes asset freezes and financial penalties.
Due to alleged military ties, the designation could complicate foreign companies’ dealings with the Venezuelan state.
The move follows months of U.S. airstrikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, the deployment of the USS Gerald R Ford carrier group, and a doubling of the reward for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million.
President Trump has declined to rule out ground troop deployment while stating that discussions with Caracas may be underway.
Several international airlines have suspended flights to Venezuela after U.S. warnings of a potentially hazardous situation.