Prosecutors from the United States Department of Justice have been forced to admit that a central claim used by the former Trump administration to justify its campaign against Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro was a fabrication. The claim that Maduro led a powerful drug cartel known as the 'Cartel de los Soles' has now been walked back in court.
From Cartel Leader to Patronage Architect
In a significant revision to a 2020 grand jury indictment, federal prosecutors in New York have distanced themselves from the assertion that the 'Cartel de los Soles' was an actual, structured criminal organisation. Instead, the updated legal document now accuses Maduro of running a 'patronage system' and fostering a 'culture of corruption' funded by narcotics profits.
The original indictment, which referred to the cartel 32 times and labelled Maduro as its leader, has been substantially altered. The new version states that Maduro upheld this corrupt system alongside his predecessor, Hugo Chávez. This concession aligns with expert analysis that 'Cartel de los Soles' is a slang term coined by Venezuelan media in the 1990s to describe officials taking drug bribes.
A Foundation for Foreign Policy
The now-discredited claim formed a cornerstone of the previous US administration's aggressive stance towards Caracas. For months, former President Donald Trump publicly promoted the idea that Maduro was a cartel boss, accusing his regime of trafficking deadly fentanyl into the United States. Last year, the State and Treasury Departments formally designated the 'Cartel de los Soles' as a terrorist organisation, a move designed to increase pressure for Maduro's ouster.
This policy included a lethal Pentagon campaign targeting alleged drug boats from Venezuela, resulting in over 80 deaths. The pressure campaign culminated last weekend with a special forces operation that captured Maduro and his wife in their palace.
Experts and Officials React
Following the DOJ's courtroom admission, Latin America specialist Elizabeth Dickinson of the International Crisis Group told the New York Times the revised indictment was 'exactly accurate to reality.' She noted that while the new charges were correct, the previous official designations were 'far from reality,' adding, 'Designations don't have to be proved in court, and that's the difference. Clearly, they knew they could not prove it in court.'
Despite the prosecutors' concession, some US politicians continue to use the terminology. Senator Marco Rubio referred to the 'Cartel de los Soles' as a real entity in a recent television interview, stating the US reserved the right to strike boats operated by such organisations. Notably, the US Drug Enforcement Administration has never mentioned 'Cartel de los Soles' in its annual National Drug Threat Assessment reports.
