Cartel de los Soles | Mission Maduro

The U.S Department of State has designated Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) as a “foreign terrorist organisation”, effective November 24, 2025. According to the U.S, the Venezuela-based cartel is headed by President Nicolas Maduro and other high-ranking officials of his government, corrupting the country’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary.

The term Cartel de los Soles emerged in the 1990s, coined by Venezuelan media after a General overseeing counter-narcotic action in the National Guard was accused of drug trafficking. The name stems from the sun insignia worn by Venezuelan military officers on the epaulettes of their uniform to indicate rank.

Soon, the term spread to all officials with alleged drug ties, not necessarily belonging to one organisation. In a media interview, Jeremy McDermott, co-director of InsightCrime, a Washington-based think tank, called the so-called cartel “a series of normally disconnected cells embedded within the Venezuelan military” rather than a traditional hierarchical crime organisation.

Drug activities in Venezuela reportedly emerged post the dismantling of cartels such as the Medellín in Colombia, leading to the emergence of new routes. Crime and corruption have flourished as Venezuela grapples with an economic crisis that has persisted for years.

In a 2020 indictment, the U.S. Department of Justice alleged that Mr. Maduro and 14 others had conspired with Colombian rebels and Venezuelan military officers “to flood the United States with cocaine” and use the drug trade as a “weapon against America”. Information about this alleged ring was provided by Leamsy Salazar, a former security chief for Hugo Chávez, Mr. Maduro’s predecessor.

Prosecutors alleged that since 1999, the Cartel de los Soles was helmed by Mr. Maduro, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, former spy chief Hugo Carvajal (El Pollo), and former General Clíver Alcalá. Others included in the indictment were Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino and Maikel Moreno, the former Supreme Court head.

The current cartel designation is being seen as a way to further pressure Mr. Maduro. The U.S government has refused to accord legitimacy to Mr. Maduro’s regime, dismissing last year’s elections as rigged. It has also promised rewards worth $50 million and $25 million, respectively, for information leading to the capture of Mr. Maduro and Mr. Cabello.

Hardline position

Adopting a hardline stance, the Trump government started attacking boats in the Caribbean, accusing them of drug trafficking. More than 80 people have been killed in the strikes so far. Multiple warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford, have been stationed in the Caribbean Sea.

Besides blocking all property and interests in the U.S, and prohibiting transactions, the FTO designation may strengthen the U.S. case for military action in Venezuela, giving the military and law enforcement greater power.

The term FTOs was expanded earlier this year to include eight Latin American criminal organisations. In July 2025, the Treasury Department sanctioned the Cartel de los Soles as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. Now, it has said the cartel funnelled support to Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel, designated FTOs and Specially Designated Global Terrorists on February 20, 2025.

Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan crime group involved in drug and human trafficking, money laundering, extortion and exploitation. The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the oldest and most powerful cartels in Mexico.

Notably, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has not called Cartel de los Soles a drug trafficking organisation in its annual National Drug Threat Assessment. The Trump administration has also not provided any evidence to substantiate its claims that Mr. Maduro is heading it.

Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry has categorically rejected the designation, terming it a “new and ridiculous lie” while Mr. Cabello has called it an invention and an excuse for U.S officials to target those they don’t like.