On Monday, November 24, the United States officially designated Venezuela’s “Cartel de los Soles” as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and imposed additional sanctions related to terrorism on the organization. The U.S. alleges that members of this group include Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and other senior officials.
In response, the Venezuelan government stated that the organization “does not exist” and called the U.S. action “absurd.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously announced the decision to designate the “Cartel de los Soles” as a foreign terrorist organization citing allegations of involvement in importing illegal drugs into the U.S.
With the Trump administration increasing U.S. military presence in the Caribbean region, the pressure on Maduro continues to escalate.
In recent months, the U.S. has been targeting drug trafficking vessels along the Venezuelan coast and the Pacific coast of Latin America. Reuters reported last Saturday that the U.S. is preparing to launch a new phase of operations against Venezuela in the coming days.
In an interview video released by conservative cable news channel “One America News Network” last Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that designating the “Cartel de los Soles” as a Foreign Terrorist Organization will “bring a host of new options for the U.S.”
U.S. officials have accused the “Cartel de los Soles” of collaborating with the Venezuelan gang “Tren de Aragua” to smuggle illegal drugs into the U.S. The U.S. had previously designated “Tren de Aragua” as a foreign terrorist organization and implicated Maduro in connections with this gang.
Maduro and his government have consistently denied involvement in any criminal activities.
The U.S. Treasury Department had designated the “Cartel de los Soles” as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in July, freezing the organization’s assets in the U.S. and broadly prohibiting dealings with it by U.S. individuals.
Peter Harrell, who served as an international economic official in the Biden administration, stated that adding the “Cartel de los Soles” to the list of foreign terrorist organizations imposes greater criminal liability on those providing material support to the group, as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” are considered the highest level of U.S. government designation for terrorism.
(Reference: Reuters)