Dangerous US Escalation: Washington Lists Venezuelan "Cartel de Los Soles" as Terror Group, Calls Maduro Its "Leader"

The US Department of State announced on Sunday its decision to designate the Venezuelan organization known as "Cartel de Los Soles" (Cartel of the Suns) as a terrorist group. The gang allegedly includes high-ranking officials in the country, and the US accuses Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of being its "leader." The designation takes effect on November 24.

Direct US Accusations

In a brief statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said:

• Corrupt Leadership: "The Cartel de Los Soles, based in Venezuela, is led by Maduro and other high-ranking individuals in the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted Venezuela's military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary."

• Collaboration with Terrorists: Rubio accused the gang of collaborating with other designated foreign terrorist organizations, including "Tren de Aragua" and the "Sinaloa Cartel," holding them responsible for "terrorist violence throughout the Western Hemisphere, as well as drug trafficking into the United States and Europe."

"Tren de Aragua" is considered the most powerful gang in Venezuela and is already listed as a terrorist organization by the US.

Context of Military Tensions in the Caribbean

This designation follows the deployment of massive US military reinforcements to the Caribbean region, under the pretext of preventing drug trafficking to the United States.

Caracas, for its part, considers the military campaign and the recent designation to be merely a US pretext to overthrow the leftist President Maduro, whose legitimacy Washington rejects. Venezuela insists that the US is waging a campaign aimed at regime change.

The report noted that US forces have killed at least 83 people in the region since the anti-trafficking campaign launched last September, without publishing details supporting claims that the targets of nearly 20 strikes were drug traffickers, a practice experts consider to amount to "extrajudicial killings."