The Trump administration is set to escalate pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by designating the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organisation on Monday. The entity, which the US claims is led by Maduro, is not considered a cartel in the traditional sense.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the Cartel de los Soles of being 'responsible for terrorist violence' across the Western Hemisphere. The move comes as President Donald Trump evaluates potential military action against Venezuela, which he has not ruled out despite suggesting possible talks with Maduro.
The term Cartel de los Soles originated in the 1990s to refer to high-ranking Venezuelan military officers involved in drug trafficking. Its use later expanded to include police and government officials, as well as activities like illegal mining and fuel trafficking. In 2020, the US Justice Department indicted Maduro and his inner circle on narcoterrorism charges.
Critics note that the Cartel de los Soles is not a formal group with regular meetings or a hierarchy. The designation of foreign terrorist organisation has traditionally been reserved for groups like Islamic State or al-Qaida, but the Trump administration applied it to eight Latin American criminal organisations in February.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the designation would provide 'a whole bunch of new options' for dealing with Maduro, but did not specify whether military strikes on land targets in Venezuela were planned. The administration has not provided evidence linking the designated groups to the boats it has struck in counterdrug operations.
