The Cartel de los Soles, or “Cartel of the Suns,” is an alleged Venezuelan criminal organization that the U.S. government says is led by President Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking officials in his regime.
The term originated in the 1990s to refer to military officers who amassed wealth through the drug trade. Over time, this came to include police and government officials involved in activities such as illegal mining and fuel smuggling.
According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, this group is responsible for “terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere” and for smuggling drugs into the United States and Europe. The State Department announced that the cartel’s designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) will take effect on Monday (November 24), marking a major escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign against narcotics and illegal immigration from Latin America.
Rubio said in a statement: “The Cartel de los Soles is led by Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted the Venezuelan military, intelligence services, legislature and judiciary. Neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela’s legitimate government.”
The The US Treasury previously designated the cartel as a “specially designated global terrorist” in July.freezing his American assets and preventing Americans from contacting him. The Justice Department has also charged Maduro and his inner circle with narco-terrorism and drug trafficking, and there is currently a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Venezuela rejects the US designation
The Venezuelan government immediately rejected the US move, calling it “ridiculous” and a fabrication to justify intervention. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said on his Telegram account:
“Venezuela categorically, decisively and absolutely rejects the new and ridiculous invention of the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who designates the non-existent Cartel of the Sun as a terrorist organization. This new maneuver will meet the same fate as the previous and repeated aggression against our country: failure.”
Maduro and his officials have consistently denied involvement in drug smuggling and accuse the US of seeking regime change to control Venezuela’s oil reserves.
US pressure and military buildup
The FTO designation comes amid a massive US military build-up in the Caribbean, with Trump reportedly evaluating potential military action against Venezuela. The Trump administration has already conducted operations targeting ships accused of drug smuggling, resulting in more than 80 deaths.
Trump has declared that Maduro’s days are “numbered” and authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela, although the FTO designation alone does not legally authorize military action.
Background to the allegations
The US Department of Justice alleges that Maduro, along with Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, conspired with Colombian rebels and Venezuelan military officials to “flood the United States with cocaine” as a “weapon against America”. Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine, and its porous border with Venezuela has historically facilitated human trafficking.
The Venezuelan government cites a UN report that says only about 5% of Colombian cocaine is transported through Venezuela, which Maduro claims is being distorted by US authorities to force him out of power.
