US administration to designate Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles as terror organization

WASHINGTON, United States (MNTV) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to designate the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization, escalating pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The designation is the latest step in the administration’s campaign against drug trafficking. Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the network—known as the Cartel of the Suns—of being “responsible for terrorist violence” in the Western Hemisphere.

The move comes as Trump considers whether to take military action against Venezuela, which he has not ruled out. Any land strikes or direct action would greatly expand the months-long US operation that includes a major military buildup in the Caribbean and strikes on boats accused of drug trafficking, which have killed more than 80 people.

“Cartel de los Soles” originally referred to high-ranking Venezuelan military officers who enriched themselves through drug trafficking in the 1990s. Over time, the term expanded to include police, government officials, and networks involved in illegal mining and fuel smuggling. The “suns” refer to the insignia worn by senior officers.

In 2020, during Trump’s first term, the US Justice Department elevated the umbrella term to describe a Maduro-led drug-trafficking organization, announcing indictments against Maduro and top officials on narcoterrorism and related charges.

“It is not a group,” said Adam Isaacson, director for defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America. “It’s not like a group where people would ever identify themselves as members. They don’t have regular meetings. They don’t have a hierarchy.”

U.S. officials blame these networks for operating boats targeted in U.S. strikes but rarely provide evidence or identify specific organizations. They say the attacks—from the Caribbean to the eastern Pacific—aim to stop narcotics from reaching US cities.

But many—including Maduro—see the military pressure as an attempt to end the ruling party’s 26-year hold on power.

The arrival of U.S. military vessels in the Caribbean has also reignited hopes within Venezuela’s US-backed opposition of ousting Maduro, fueling speculation about the true purpose of the counterdrug operation. Trump, like his predecessor, does not recognize Maduro as the country’s legitimate leader.

Maduro is serving a third term after ruling-party loyalists declared him the winner of the 2024 election, despite credible evidence the opposition candidate won by more than a 2-to-1 margin. His government remains accused of repeated human rights abuses against opponents, especially after the July 2024 election.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the upcoming designation of Cartel de los Soles will give Washington “a whole bunch of new options” for dealing with Maduro. He declined to provide details or confirm whether land strikes are being prepared.

“So nothing is off the table, but nothing’s automatically on the table,” he said.